Poison
by Harkpad
Summary: When a man from Torchwood's past plots revenge, the people who care most about Jack must work together to save him from endless pain. Post Dead Man Walking, pre-COE. Janto. Entire team, really. Martha Jones makes an appearance. Complete.
1. Chapter 1

**Author's Notes: This is my very first attempt at fanfic. I would appreciate reviews and any constructive criticism you can possibly offer. My greatest fear is writing myself into a box, and while I do know where this one is going (and I hope to have it updated soon), getting there is always hard. Suggestions are welcome. I'm pretty nervous about posting…..**

When Jack felt the bullet rip through his chest, it felt different than before. He had felt plenty of bullets tear through his body over the hundred plus years he'd spent on this crazy planet, but not like this. This one was on fire. It was on fire and it was churning through him and spreading pain like thousands of needles piercing him through his whole body, not just where the bullet was. And then there was ice everywhere and he couldn't move and then there was nothing but darkness and death.

Gwen and Rhys were laughing at one of Rhys' stupid jokes and enjoying their first sips of the coffees they'd ordered after waiting an extra ten minutes on Jack and Ianto to join them. Jack and Ianto had a habit of getting sidetracked and delayed when it came to social engagements lately, so Gwen wasn't worried about being rude. They were startled, though, when a gunshot rang out, and Gwen instinctively looked around for any police who might be heading to check it out. She didn't see anyone, though, and had relaxed and taken another sip of coffee when her mobile rang. She raised her eyebrows at Rhys and answered the phone. She put her coffee cup down as she listened, and said, "Okay. We'll find them." She hung up and looked at Rhys. "Tosh was bothering Ianto for an archive code a minute ago when a gunshot rang out and Ianto dropped the call. She hasn't been able to raise Jack or Ianto since. We've got to go." Rhys threw a tip down on the table as they left, and Gwen told him quickly to go around to the car park and see if the SUV was there. "Then meet me on the walk path; I'm going to check there."

"Jack!" Gwen yelled, rushing through the trees to Jack's body laying face down on the path. Jack was actually covering Ianto's body, which seemed to be passed out underneath him. She rushed up to the two men and rolled Jack's body off of Ianto's. She saw the bullet wound on Jack's chest but wasn't worried; she had seen that before and was finally used to the gasp for air and renewal of the glimmer in her boss's eyes. It was Ianto she was worried about.

As soon as she moved Jack, Ianto rolled over and gasped; he'd had the wind knocked out of him when Jack had thrown himself upon him. He coughed violently and Gwen leaned down and held him as he tried to regain his breath. "Ianto, are you all right?" Ianto nodded, still coughing. "Who did this?" Gwen asked, and Ianto looked at Jack and took a shaky breath. "I don't know, but as soon as Jack saw him on the path he threw himself at me like he knew what was coming. Jack definitely recognized him. All I heard was the man shouting at Jack, and then he fired right at us."

They both looked at Jack. "Is he dead?" Ianto asked, still taking deep breaths to clear his head. "Yeah," said Gwen. "Rhys and I were waiting on you two outside the coffee shop when Tosh called in that you were down and out of contact. We even heard the gunshot. I sent Rhys to get the SUV."

Ianto leaned over Jack. "It's taking him a bit this time, isn't it?" This was odd, and odd worried Ianto. He liked Jack being predictable in his deaths, not odd. One gunshot didn't usually knock Jack out for this long, and it had been almost ten minutes since he fell and a crowd was starting to gather. That could be trouble, so Gwen got up and spoke with the police that had arrived and they started moving the crowd back as Rhys walked up to them. "All right, Ianto?" he asked. "Yeah, thanks," Ianto answered back and then looked back down at Jack with concern. "Listen, something is weird here. I think we ought to get him into the SUV and back to the Hub." Ianto and Rhys carried Jack to the SUV and laid him across the back seat. Ianto climbed in with him and Gwen and Rhys got in up front and Rhys headed back toward the Hub. As soon as they got going, they heard the familiar gasp for air from Jack.

"Jack. Are you okay?" Ianto asked. Jack coughed and coughed, but finally settled and sat up shakily. He saw Rhys driving the SUV and pointed and said, "What the _hell_ is he doing driving the car?" Gwen grinned. "He helped clear you out from the crowd that was gathering; I figured he earned the okay to drive this time." Jack just shook his head. Putting his hand to his temple, he said, "Ianto, are you okay?" Ianto nodded and waited patiently for Jack to look up again. "Jack," he asked, "who was that? What would he want to shoot at us for?" The SUV rounded a corner and Jack hesitated. "If it is who I think, his name is Kent Fischer and I thought he was long gone. He used to work as a research scientist for Torchwood in the mid-nineties. I thought he was dead, though." Jack's voice trailed off as he winced in pain and the color drained from his face. "Jack?" Ianto asked, concerned. Jack's hand went back to his head and he doubled over as fire and needles rushed through his body once again, filling it with a relentless agony that wouldn't stop. Fire was burning every inch of his body and it was so consuming that he was barely aware of his own screams.

When Jack started to scream, Rhys slammed on the brakes and he saw both Ianto and Gwen reaching for Jack, who was thrashing, writhing, and yelling as if someone were stabbing him over and over again. It was chaos and Ianto was trying to hold Jack still. Rhys figured the place they needed to be was the Hub, so he got them there as fast as possible. Gwen tapped her coms and yelled over the screaming, "Owen! We need you to meet us in the car park NOW. There's something wrong with Jack." They heard Owen's voice, "On my way up." As Rhys pulled in and parked, Owen and Tosh ran out the door to the car park and they saw Gwen opening the back door of the SUV. Owen ran round the back and saw Jack writhing in agony and still screaming, and then, suddenly, Jack passed out cold. His body went limp and his face, glistening with sweat and tears, went slack. Owen checked for a pulse. "He's dead. No pulse." He looked into the fearful faces of his colleagues and said, "Well come on then, help me get him down to the lab so I can figure out what the bloody hell just happened."

Rhys and Ianto dragged Jack's body to the lift inside the tourist office and then down the steps to the lab inside the Hub. With Jack laid out on the table in the lab, Owen looked at Gwen and Ianto. "Who the hell did this?"

They took turns telling their story, and when they finished, Gwen looked up at Tosh, who was standing in the entryway to the lab, and said, "Can you look up Kent Fischer? Used to work for Torchwood." Tosh nodded, took one more worried look at Jack, and rushed back out to her computer station. Owen went to Jack's body and looked at the bullet hole in his shirt. After looking closely, he went to his tool station and grabbed a metal wand and ran it over the area where Jack had been shot. He looked at the monitor behind him. "Owen?" Gwen asked expectantly. "Look," he said, "this isn't a normal bullet. It's dissolving quickly. His body usually churns bullets up, part of his magic, but slowly. That's why he is an arse after getting shot. But _this_ one is almost gone already. By the time I get in there it _will_ be gone. And look where the bullet was. See that color?" There was an array of blues and yellows and greens stemming from the area where the wound was on the screen. "That's a chemical." He paused and looked at his friends, "Jack's been poisoned."

At those words, Jack gasped for air again, this time finding himself in the lab and feeling completely wiped out. He didn't even have the energy to sit up. He just looked at Owen and said, "Something's wrong." Ianto stepped close to him and told him, "Jack, Owen says you've been poisoned. That wasn't a bullet meant to kill."

Jack closed his eyes and said, "Yeah," quietly. He sat up slowly, with some help from Ianto, leaning against Ianto and finding his hand to hold himself steady. He wasn't in pain, but he was exhausted. "That figures. Kent Fischer wouldn't want me to go down easy, and I'll bet he knew I'd try to protect Ianto. Besides, he knows he can't kill me because he already tried once before." Ianto, who had no idea how to deal with the information that someone _could_ poison him, looked at Jack and said, "Jack, who _is_ he?"

Jack took a shaky breath. "Kent Fischer blamed me for the death of his wife. And I suppose that since I did kill her, then he'd have his reasons for some bitterness." When Jack looked at everyone's shocked faces he smiled apologetically. "Look. I was ordered to kill her and she wasn't really herself anymore." He paused as his smile faded and he gazed at Owen and then at Ianto, "Sound familiar?" Ianto nodded and looked a little sick. Jack continued, "She worked for Torchwood as well. An alien had taken her over and our scientists and my commanding officers agreed that it was a mercy killing. But it was dangerous, so they sent me to do it. I managed to kill her without getting hurt, but Kent knew I did it and tried to kill me." He smiled again, "It didn't take." Gwen asked, "But I thought you said Fischer was dead." As she spoke she looked at Jack and knew something was still very wrong. His face drained of color, and he rolled to his side in agony as the fire raced through his body once again, and once again he couldn't stop himself from screaming.

Owen was listening to Jack talk about his past and thinking, 'Good god, how can one man have pissed off so many people?' when he saw Jack go into agony yet again. A pattern? This could get ugly. He rushed over to Jack, who had fallen off of the table from writhing and thrashing in pain. Ianto was there right away, trying to hold Jack still and shouting for Owen, and Owen helped him hold Jack, looking for signs of pupil dilation or something that would indicate other effects of the poison besides just pain. There was nothing. He needed to get Jack still so he could run some other tests, but it was impossible at the moment. It looked like someone was holding hot irons to Jack's body, and this time it was lasting longer. Jack must have screamed for more than five minutes before he passed out again and died. Three deaths in thirty minutes wasn't good for anyone.

" What. Is. Happening?" Ianto said heavily after they put Jack back on the examining table in the lab. Tosh and Gwen and Rhys were standing up on the balcony with the exact same question on their faces. Owen thought for a minute. "I don't know." He rummaged on the cart near the table and pulled out a sterile syringe pack, ripped it open, and proceeded to draw a tube of blood from Jack's arm. As he was working, he said, "We know it's poison of some sort, and I have to isolate it." He went back to a cabinet and drew out the Torchwood blood samples and pulled one of Jack's. He also knew nothing he could say would be enough for the rest of the team. "Look, Ianto I need you to time this thing. See if there are any patterns. And just help Jack get through it." He looked at Gwen and Tosh, "You two need to find the bastard who did this. Or at least find the lab where he concocted it. If we can't find an element match in our databases, we need to find a stash. Plus, a lot of times when you create a poison, you create an antidote, too. We need to know what this guy knows." He looked back at Jack, lying inert on the table. He knew when this happened again he needed to do a scan, so he clenched his teeth and reached for the restraints found hanging off the table and began to tie Jack down. The team looked on horrorstruck, knowing that it was necessary, but hating the very idea. Owen tied him down and then looked around at the people depending on him. "I will figure this out. It may take some time, though, and that will mean more for him to put up with."

"Owen," Gwen asked quietly, "Could you at least give him a painkiller when the pain starts? You know, just to tame it down a bit?" Owen looked at Jack, "I can try. I have absolutely no idea how his body reacts to painkillers, but it's worth a shot." He looked at Ianto, "Call me when he wakes up again." Ianto nodded and watched as Owen climbed upstairs to run his blood tests.

Tosh and Gwen watched as Owen settled at his computer and testing station and looked at each other. Gwen said with a small smile, "Okay. Let's figure this guy out. We know he worked for Torchwood. What else have you found?" Tosh looked wearily at Gwen, knowing Gwen was hoping for a load of information. "I found out who he used to be, but in 1995 everything stops. He stops being on payroll, his file is closed down as terminated, and there are no government records of Kent Fischer because he died. According to this he died in the line of duty a few months after Jack killed his wife." They both looked back at the records in front of them for a few minutes. Gwen said, "Maybe we should go talk to someone he knew. See what they remember. It's better than nothing." Tosh flipped through a few screens, "He has a brother in town. He's a businessman. Let me find his address." Gwen told Tosh that she wanted to check on Jack, and then they'd pack their field kits and go fishing for information.

When Gwen walked down the stairs to the lab a few minutes later, Jack was awake. Ianto had undone the straps on his arms, and Jack was sitting up, drinking a glass of water. He looked up raggedly when Gwen came down. "This is fun, huh?" he said. She crossed over to him and looked in his tired eyes, "Owen will figure this out," and she paused, "or maybe it will just wear off." Jack shook his head. "If there are two things I remember about Kent Fischer, it's that he is persistent and incredibly smart. Not necessarily the kind of evil scientist you want plotting your downfall." Gwen protested, "Jack, I think you may be wrong about who it was. Kent Fischer is dead, according to all of our records. We're still looking, though, and he has a brother who is still around." At that, Owen came downstairs with a pill cup. "Jack," he said, "We'll try giving you a painkiller before it starts again, right?" Jack nodded and accepted the painkillers, drinking them down right away. Then he looked at Gwen again, "I thought we had him in the vaults. You should check the vault records for Torchwood. This doesn't make a lot of sense." Gwen looked puzzled. "But if he's declared dead and he's figured out how to fool Torchwood, then what good will that do us?" Jack said, "Well, I don't know, but Torchwood vaults don't usually sit empty. Maybe there's a clue in the vaults." He leaned into Ianto for support again, feeling completely wiped out. Gwen started to tell him about the brother that she and Tosh were going to go talk to, and then she saw his hand go to his head again. "Jack? Is it starting again?" He nodded. They began to lay him back down and put the restraints back on; they didn't want him to keep falling, and Owen needed a scan. As they were trying to tie him down he said through the pain, "Wait." And then he leaned over and vomited. He shook his head and closed his eyes in pain and a minute later he was screaming again.

Ianto turned and kicked the cart nearby in frustration, sending the whole thing clattering to the floor. The idea that the painkillers wouldn't help drove him to anger, and the feeling of helplessness he had was becoming overwhelming. All he could do was watch Jack scream. Ianto clicked the stopwatch as Owen had asked, and stood with his hands on Jack's chest to at least let Jack know he wasn't alone. Gwen was standing there, too, and when the screaming lasted for six minutes she shook her head and looked pleadingly at Ianto. He looked at the stopwatch and said, "It should stop soon." Jack's now-hoarse screams were raking through the room and he was thrashing and sweating like mad. At seven minutes precisely, he died again. Ianto clicked the stopwatch twice, wrote the time down on his clipboard, and threw the clipboard down loudly onto the nearby counter. Gwen looked at him and said, "I'm going to go talk to Fischer's brother. We'll let you know if we find anything out." She squeezed Ianto's hand and then walked away. Ianto went to the nearby sink, found a washcloth, and wet it. He went back to Jack's body and began wiping his face off, getting it clean from the sweat and tears. He wet the washcloth with cold water again and laid it across Jack's forehead. Then he waited. Three minutes later Jack took a deep breath, but he didn't open his eyes. Ianto held his hand and brushed the washcloth over his face again. "Jack. Owen tried to give you a painkiller, but it wouldn't stay down. There's nothing else to do until they figure this out." He asked, after Jack lay still and quiet, "Can I get you some water?" He just wanted to do something. Anything. But Jack shook his head weakly and took several shaky breaths. Then it seemed like he went to sleep, but five minutes on the stopwatch later, the pain began again.

Ianto had timed the cycle three more times before Gwen and Tosh left for Fischer's brother, and it was clockwork. Seven minutes of pain, five minutes of death, and three minutes awake before it started again.

When Gwen and Tosh arrived back at the hub a couple of hours later, they weren't sure what they would find. Gwen was more worried than she ever had been about Jack, and that was saying something. She never knew what might finally drag him away from all of them in the end, but she always felt like someday he would be gone from her life, and she didn't know how the hell she would ever cope with that. This, though, Jack being tortured, was nothing she had ever imagined. She was almost sure Owen would figure something out, but after her entirely unproductive visit to Kent Fischer's brother's office she was decidedly upset at her lack of a lead to the origin of the poison. She was tired, and she really just wanted to go home to Rhys and come back in five hours to a healthy and whatever-normal-was kind of Jack. She could hear his tormented screams as soon as the hub door alarms went off, though, and she quickly calculated how many deaths, awakenings, and pain periods he must have gone through while she and Tosh were gone. "Eight times," Tosh said softly, as though reading Gwen's mind. They looked grimly at each other and headed toward the screams. Owen was not upstairs at his computer, but was in the lab with Jack and Ianto.

Gwen saw Ianto in the lab and her heart broke again. He was sitting on the edge of a rolling chair, holding Jack's hand limply with one hand, and his head was down on the edge of the table on his other hand in the most defeated way she had ever seen him look. Hs usually rigid and impeccable suit jacket was thrown absently on the floor in a heap, with the tie draped across the pile. His hair was obviously tousled, and when he heard Gwen and Tosh coming down the steps to the lab he looked up wearily and then laid his head back down on his hand without even acknowledging them. Owen was standing nearby looking at the monitor screen. He had probes stuck all over Jack's bare chest; he and Ianto had either helped Jack strip his braces and shirts off or had done it for him. The monitor was reading vital signs, brain activity, and pain levels, and a separate monitor was testing chemical levels in his blood every few minutes. All three lines on the vital sign monitor were flat at the moment. Gwen and Tosh approached the table and Tosh picked up Jack's other hand and held it to her cheek. Owen looked up and asked, "Well? Did you find any leads?" Gwen thought his voice betrayed a note of desperation, and his face visibly dropped when Tosh shook her head. "He doesn't know anything, it seems, and was quite surprised to have questions about his long-dead brother being brought up," Tosh said. Gwen added, "And he has a good alibi for yesterday. He was out of the country on business until this morning. I suppose we should double check that, though." Tosh smiled weakly, "Already did. Customs cleared him for reentry at five this morning." A few minutes later, Jack took a small breath and the monitors beeped as the vital signs and brain activity jumped back into action.

Ianto looked up wearily and said, "Jack, we're all here. Do you want a drink?" Jack said no through a breath, and Gwen leaned over and kissed him gently on his forehead. He smiled a bit, and opened his eyes. She looked at him and watched as his eyes tried to focus on her, but he was too weak and he finally just closed them in resignation as she told him about Fisher's brother's alibi. Jack actually seemed to be struggling a bit to draw each breath, and he whispered, "Check the vaults. Make sure it's Kent Fischer down there." He paused and opened his eyes again and said, "Did you check CCTv?" Tosh answered, "I have the recognition software program running right now. No matches yet." He nodded and closed his eyes again. Ianto watched his stopwatch and then watched as Jack seemed to be breathing too shallow and struggling too much. "Jack. Is it hard to breathe?" Jack nodded and Owen leaned over, checking Jack's pulse and watching the monitor. "It's getting harder for even your body to keep up with the stress put on it for the last six hours, Jack." Owen looked at Ianto, who obviously wasn't happy with this development. "I'm gonna get an oxygen line started for him. Then I have a phone call to make." As he finished putting an oxygen line on, they heard Jack's sharp intake of breath through clenched teeth, and the pain monitor began to spike upwards. As Owen saw Jack start to writhe in pain again, he stormed upstairs with Gwen on his heels.

"Owen. You don't have any leads either, do you?" she asked.

"No," Owen said as he sat himself down at his workstation wearily. "Well, a sliver of one. I mean, there are a total of six elements that make up the poison, as far as I can tell, and I know what two of them are. They're not toxic themselves, though, and are probably just suspension liquids. I have no idea what the other four are, though. There's nothing close in our database. That is why I am making a phone call." He turned away from Gwen to the video phone and clicked a number. Gwen watched quizzically and then gave a small smile and sigh of relief as she heard Owen ask, "I need to speak to Dr. Martha Jones, please. This is urgent." When the voice on the phone said, "I'm sorry, sir, but she hasn't arrived yet this morning," and as hoarse screams erupted behind him, Owen said, "Then you need to page her with whatever sort of urgent code you have and tell her that Jack Harkness has been poisoned and is currently in the worst Hell possible and she is our only hope of helping him." Owen paused and then added, "I'll wait." Gwen grinned and patted his arm, "Good show, Dr. Harper."

A few minutes later, as Jack lay quietly in the lab below, and Owen was waiting for Martha to get to his call, Ianto watched in visible pain. "Owen," he called, does he have to stay here with the monitors? You've run your scans to no avail, and it seems to me we could at least move him to a more comfortable spot than the table." Owen looked at the monitor and back to Ianto, knowing how much watching your lover in agony was pure misery, but also seeing the clinical issues at hand. "Ianto, I have to know the second anything in his body chemistry changes, and one of the monitor lines is also reading blood chemistry, which is vital right now. I am sorry." Ianto's face fell, but Owen continued, "Look, I have a call into Martha Jones. Hopefully the UNIT database will have something ours doesn't." He finished checking on Jack, leaving Ianto to stare blankly at Jack, who had never before looked quite real to Ianto, but who looked, at the moment, like the most vulnerable human being he had ever seen.

Martha was waiting on the line as soon as Owen got back upstairs, and she didn't even say hello. "Owen, what do you mean, poisoned him? How does anyone poison Jack?" Owen grimaced and replied, "Anyone with a stock of alien chemicals and a genius level medical knowledge of how Jack's body works. Apparently someone who used to work for Torchwood and who Jack was able to piss off even more than his usual ability would allow. Look," he made a few clicks, "I'm sending you the breakdown of the chemicals raging through his blood right now. I have tried filtering them, I have tried our antitoxin kit in its entirety, and I have even tried a transfusion to dilute, but nothing works. Nothing. We even tried painkillers just to give him some relief, but that just makes him physically ill on top of it all."

Martha interrupted him. "Okay. I got the breakdown and am running it through our system now. But tell me, what the hell is this doing to him?" Owen sighed. "You aren't going to believe how tailored to him this is. It has been going on for six and a half hours." Just then the usual screams erupted from the lab. Martha's face froze in shock as Owen explained and as she could hear Jack's screams in the background.

When Owen finished his story, Martha was quiet for a bit. When Jack's screams died, she looked at Owen determinedly and said, "All right. I'm coming over as soon as the database scan is complete and I know anything. Stay alert for my call." Owen nodded and told her thanks. Then he went looking for Gwen and Tosh. What he found was two irate colleagues. "What's up?" he asked. Tosh was glaring at her computer screen. "You know, it's lucky we're such thorough people. Otherwise we'd miss out on catching assholes on a weekly basis. Look, Owen. The DNA results from the corpse in the morgue." He looked at the screen that held two sets of DNA code. They did not match. At all. "That corpse isn't Kent Fischer. Shit, Jack was right. Still, the CCTV would pull him if he is trying to pass as a citizen, so hopefully that will work soon." Tosh paused and then added, "waiting on technology again."

Owen looked thoughtful. Gwen said, "Who is the corpse? What if Fischer just slipped into his life? It is a lead." Tosh grinned, and said, "With an address and phone number and job." She moved back to her system and hit a few keys. "Johnathon Guines." She grinned. "Still alive and well and living in Cardiff. Shall we pay him a visit?" Gwen nodded, and Owen said, "Try to take Ianto. He needs to get away from this for a bit. Besides, I bet he'll figure out a way to extract information from this prick."

When Gwen went to talk Ianto into going with them, he was leaning over Jack, his face close to Jack's face, talking softly. Jack was awake, actually looking at Ianto and smiling weakly at whatever he was saying. Gwen felt like she was interrupting something, but she was so glad to see Jack smiling that it didn't matter. When Ianto saw Gwen he stood up and smiled a little. She brushed Jack's face with her hand and leaned over. "I need to steal Ianto for a bit, Jack. We think we found Kent Fischer. You were right about him not being in the vaults. We think he has slipped into another man's life, so he might not be too hard to find. "Jack's eyes lit up a bit, but Ianto shook his head."No. I'm staying here. You and Tosh can vet him."

Ianto couldn't think of leaving Jack's side, and besides, he was absolutely exhausted and thinking of interrogating someone who had hurt Jack so much only ended with visions of hurting Kent Fischer in ways he had never imagined hurting anyone, even when he had thought he had wanted to kill Jack over Lisa. But Jack shook his head weakly and said, "She's right. You should go. Nothing is changing with me, and you have an ace in the hole that Gwen and Tosh don't have. You can win his trust and find out about the poison, you know," and he smiled sadly. Suddenly Ianto understood what Jack was getting at, after all, he had just been thinking about Lisa. "I don't know, Jack. It seems like a long shot." But Jack grimaced in pain as it began again and said through his gritted teeth, "I'll take a long shot at this point, Ianto." And as Jack succumbed to the pain once more, Ianto looked at Gwen and said, "All right, but you two will have to follow my lead. And I need to clean up a bit before we go. Stay with him, okay? I'll be right back." He put his hands on Jack's face for a moment as Jack writhed again, but then let Gwen take over holding him as best she could as Ianto ran downstairs to change clothes. He needed to look sharp, even if he didn't feel it.

Ianto washed his face, put on a clean button down shirt and a jacket. He didn't put on a tie because he wanted it to look like he had been staying with the team for the past hours and it would be less believable for him to be completely crisp. He could hear Jack screaming in the background as he combed his hair, and he could hear it as he climbed the stairs to ask Owen a few questions before they left. He didn't want to mess this chance up. He was afraid, though, he had to admit. Even though he was pretty good at selling an image that might not be true, flat out lying to someone he wanted to strangle wasn't something he was sure about being able to do.

Ianto, Gwen, and Tosh gathered in the conference room before they left to outline their plan. They didn't want Jack to have to wait, but they couldn't afford to go in without planning. Gwen fitted Ianto with the contact lenses that weren't, they debated about whether he should be armed and settled on not, and then they discussed the 'script' he could use. He had been figuring it out since they started, and they agreed with him. He would go in alone, even drive there alone, with Gwen and Tosh in the SUV a safe distance behind. Then he would act. They had a code word for the barge-in from Gwen and Tosh, but they hoped they wouldn't have to use it so that Fischer wouldn't be on to them and wouldn't put up a fight.


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Thank you ****so much**** to everyone who has favorited this and **_**especially**_** to the folks who reviewed it! You all are very kind and supportive, which is exactly what I needed! I hope this chapter doesn't disappoint you, and thanks again. **

**Disclaimer: I think I forgot to do this last time. I own nothing associated with Torchwood. I know what I would have done if I did, and it wasn't what they did, that's for sure. (Though I'm enjoying Miracle Day much more than I thought I would. . .)**

**Chapter Two: The Conversation**

After the meeting with Tosh and Gwen, Ianto did not go and say goodbye to Jack. He had started thinking about what he was going to have to say to Fischer if they were right about where he was, and suddenly he thought that seeing Jack again would only make it more impossible. Jack was in no condition to get angry right now, and if he did get angry later Ianto was sure he could explain. It was a mindset. He started to think of who he would have to be in Fischer's company and once he started he didn't think he could stop until it was over. So he let Gwen and Tosh go down to Jack and when they returned a few minutes later, all three headed for the car park. He waited while Tosh linked the contact lenses into the computer in the SUV so that they could watch the meeting and help Ianto if he needed it, and Gwen rattled off a few more tips about the meeting.

"Remember, if you get any indication that there's an antidote on the premises, we're coming in, right? No need to mess around if we can get it right away and throw this guy in the cells." Gwen's voice was tense, and she knew she was being overbearing in her concern, but this whole thing seemed so crazy. Ianto wasn't a liar or an actor, and she was not convinced that he could pull this off. If he got hurt in the midst of everything with Jack, there would be no end to the misery, regardless of the outcome with the poison.

"I know, Gwen. I'll do my best to get that point established, okay? Don't expect me to ask him straight away, though, right? I've got to get some sort of groundwork laid first, so keep the typing in my eyes to a minimum unless it's an emergency. I will get it out of him, don't worry. We just need to do this. The more we stand around talking about it the harder it's going to be. Oh, and stay back a good ways, Gwen," he said, "We don't know what kind of monitoring he's got set up at the place." He was nervous enough without her jittery mothering on top of everything. He pulled out his car keys, let himself in, and waited until Gwen and Tosh were settled in the SUV to get going. He drove, letting his GPS guide him while he thought.

He thought about everything bad and tried to make it seem worse in retrospect. He thought about the look on Jack's face when he had the gun to Ianto's head the night they found out about Lisa in the basement. He thought about the arrogance in Jack as he asked for coffee over and over and as he failed to thank Ianto for taking care of the Hub. He thought of Jack tricking him into taking over the Archive work because he was too lazy to do it himself. He thought of the cold, triumphant look on Jack's face as he sent the alien who Tosh had fallen for to her death. He thought of Jack knowingly sending a mother's little girl away from her forever, and he thought of Jack leaving them, coming back to tell more lies, and Jack dancing with Gwen at her wedding. He tried to leave every situation as bleak as they appeared in his mind, wouldn't let himself explain everything away. He thought of the hate he felt at Jack after Lisa died and his own world ended. Hate at that arrogant, 51st century man who _knew_ he had seen more, done more, lived more than anyone around him. He tried to keep the anger going as he drove down the road toward Fischer's house, and his knuckles turned white on the steering wheel as he focused on all of that anger and the hate he once felt.

When he arrived at Fischer's house, he climbed out of his car as quickly as possible and strode confidently to the door, knocking loudly at once. There were a few moments, and then a man opened the door and pointed a gun at Ianto's head.

When Gwen saw the gun aiming right for Ianto's eyes, she cried out. Tosh reached out and put her hand on Gwen's arm, saying quickly, "Wait. Just wait a moment." Gwen nodded and parked the SUV at the arranged spot, about two minute's drive to Fisher's doorstep. Her own hands clenched the steering wheel in helplessness, though, wanting to stay ready to go help Ianto if he needed it.

Kent Fischer was taller than Ianto expected. Why that occurred to him whilst a gun was pointed at his face, he wasn't sure, but it was his first thought. His second thought was about the gun and was, "Shit, that was fast." Fischer was tall, with graying black hair and bright green eyes, cold and steely, nothing insane looking at all. He would be considered attractive in more pleasant circumstances, and Ianto knew that in his youth he would have been an intimidating figure with the scientist genius and handsome looks. Right now, though, Ianto was more worried about the gun and Fischer's voice.

"You have ten seconds to give me a reason not to kill you right here, Ianto Jones, Jack Harkness' lover. It seems like it might be a nice addition to the pain he's in right now…." His voice was steady, dark, and low. Ianto took a deep breath.

"I'll give you three reasons," Ianto said, narrowing his eyes and looking past the gun and into Fischer's eyes with a hope that his voice was really as steady as it sounded in his own ears. "One: Your poison seems to be wearing off. Two: If you knew anything at all about me you would know that there is _no_ love in my relationship with Jack Harkness. And three: If you'll put that down and listen to me, we can work together to bring Harkness _and_ Torchwood Three down for good." He waited while Fischer cocked his head and looked at Ianto with fresh eyes. The gun stayed where it was, though.

"I'll give you ten minutes to convince me not to kill you. I know you're lying about at least one of those reasons, but I'll let it slide for ten minutes. Come in." Ianto kept his face cold, and back at the SUV, Gwen and Tosh looked at each other incredulously. When Ianto said he had an idea of how to get inside, they didn't realize it would involve that. He sounded. . . convincing, even to them who knew him well.

Fischer showed Ianto into an office, a tidy office with an old antique desk and a very modern computer system on top of it. Fischer shoved Ianto into a lounge chair and sat on the desk, never lowering the gun.

"Start with the poison. I know it's not wearing off." His voice was still steady, but Ianto could tell that this was the information Fischer most wanted.

Ianto thought back to what Owen had told him before they left for Fischer, "The chemical chain is degrading. We timed the cycle when we first realized it was a pattern, and it's not following the pattern any more. It held the pattern for the first eight hours, but then it started to spread out. He's not in pain for seven minutes anymore, just four, and the death length is shorter, too, only about three minutes. Owen says the chemical chain is degrading and that if we wait it out it will wear off." Ianto paused as dramatically as he could muster before adding, "If you give me more of it I can keep it going into his system as long as you can supply it." Fischer thought for a moment, and mumbled a bit to himself, "Degrading, no. The timing element is held by the . . ." and he didn't finish. He looked more squarely at Ianto. "Why would you offer to re-administer? Jack Harkness loves you. Or at least he adores you, which may be all he's capable of."

Cold. He had to stay cold with this. "I don't give a _damn_ what Jack Harkness feels about me. If you knew what he'd done to me you would understand that love will _never_ enter my feelings toward him. And I'm offering because it would solve a problem that UNIT and I have been trying to figure out for two years," Ianto paused, swallowing the bile trying to rise in his throat through the lies. "Don't you understand? Once the UNIT team figured out how I feel about Jack, they brought me in. It was convenient. They needed someone on the inside to bring Jack and Torchwood down. If they can get to Torchwood Three, then they can control all of the alien tech and business in the UK. I was their answer to getting inside. But we've been stifled by his immortality and everyone else's ignorance of how his body works. If we can't kill him, how can we get rid of him? We can't just take him and hide him away because he has too many connections for that to be viable. Some of them are important. But if we can figure a way to simply immobilize him and thus remove him from the Torchwood picture? _Then_ UNIT can take it over. None of the others have the connections to keep it going. _I_ was supposed to be the key." Ianto tried to pour all the desperation he had ever felt into this next bit. "I was the key, but I _couldn't_ figure it out. I've gained access and trust and can get into any file I can find at this point, but he doesn't keep _anything_ about himself on file! How you managed to figure out his body's weakness I'll never know, but you did it, when I couldn't. That's why I've gotten close to him. Fooled him. You know," and Ianto spat these words out, surprised at his own careless voice, "He's an emotional wreck just craving anyone who can get into him. It wasn't hard to fool him into thinking I loved him. He craves emotional contact and physical contact; it's like an addiction to him. It's not hard to supply." He felt his own eyes growing colder, felt the words flow out of him like a river over smooth rocks. He was on a roll, and Fischer was buying it. The gun lowered.

"Why?" Why don't you care? You begged him to let you in and work for him. I saw the CCTv footage. You practically stalked him. The footage of the fight you had on the Plass just looked like a testosterone battle over something stupid. What was it _really_ about?" Fischer asked, starting to put that night together with the fury he heard in the young man's voice.

Ianto stood up and walked over to Fischer, completely ignoring the gun and standing as close as he could to look into Fischer's eyes as he lowered his voice to a fierce whisper, "He killed the one woman I've ever loved, my fiancé, my life. He killed her after trying to order me to kill her, and he enjoyed it. I know he did; he always does. And I know you understand what I'm saying and how I feel. I know it. _You've_ seen it, too. The joy he takes from ending a human life, like he's superior to us because of his immortality. He killed her, and then he arrogantly expected me to roll over and fall for him, like his charm could erase what he did. You _know_ what it feels like, don't you? That's why you're doing this. Because he did to you just what he did to me. I'll bet he even tried to 'make it up to you,' after, just like he did with me. The bastard deserves a fate worse than death, and finally, someone has figured out how to give it to him." Ianto paused, looking at the realization dawning in Fischer's eyes. Watching as his speech worked, as Fischer found an ally when he thought he was all alone. He finished it off. "And that's why you'll give me more of that poison, so I can make sure Jack Harkness is out of the picture for good. Then you can use your genius to help me take out the rest of the team and make room for UNIT. And I can find meaning again in my life by getting revenge and being able to finally move on from this _miserable_ organization." He sat back down, waiting on a response. Moments passed, but Ianto was relaxed. It was as if he was detached from the situation, watching from a distance with nothing left to do. So he waited.

Fischer didn't say anything, but he put the gun down. He went around to his computer for a few minutes, and then finally spoke, slowly. "The only thing I can figure is that you're lying about the poison to get to the rest of your own plan." Ianto thought his heart was going to drop through the floor. Fischer continued without looking at him, "But, maybe you're not. Having more of the poison on hand won't hurt anything, and if you can feed me some information about how it's affecting him, then I can make it worse. Worse is good, right?" Fischer smiled, and Ianto passed him a thin smile in return. "Here's the thing, though. If you found where I am, can the rest of them figure it out, too? I think a change in location might be in order." He went to a cabinet and pulled out a vial. He handed it to Ianto. Ianto took it with confidence and turned to go. Fischer stopped him. "I'll get a message to you for another meeting to discuss this further. Don't come back here. I won't be here and I'll know if you do." Ianto nodded, knowing he had half of what he came for. He decided to take the risk for the other half.

"I was just wondering, is Owen going to be able to figure out an antidote? If he does then we might be in trouble," Ianto asked calmly.

"If there were an antidote he might figure it out. These compounds defy that sort of thing, though, so don't worry. If we keep him supplied with this, he will be in agony for a very, very long time." Fischer smiled again and showed Ianto to the door. "Don't worry, there's meaning in our futures after all."

Ianto nodded and left Fischer's house, climbed into his car, and laid the vial down on the seat next to him. He knew Fischer was still watching, and he drove off with confidence back toward the Hub. Once he was a few blocks from Fischer's house, though, the shaking overcame him and he had to pull over. He sat at the edge of the road shaking and a minute later, Gwen appeared at his door. She opened it and knelt down next to him.

She saw him shaking and his face was pale and tears were streaming down his face. Tosh walked up as Gwen eased Ianto out of the car. Tosh pulled him into a hug and Gwen reached for the vial. Tosh looked at Gwen as she held Ianto and said softly, "Take it back to the Hub to Owen. I'll get Ianto back. Go on."

Gwen knew what that conversation with Fischer must have cost Ianto, and she nodded at Tosh and climbed into the SUV and headed for Owen. It felt like some sick relay competition with Jack as the prize, and Gwen knew that Ianto had just spent his last ounce of strength on deceiving a madman.

Tosh held Ianto and finally eased him into the passenger seat of his car. He hadn't stopped crying, but they needed to get him back to Jack. That was all she could think of. She had heard the anger and hatred in Ianto's voice, and she knew that it wasn't a lie, that he _had_ felt those things. But he had felt them a long time ago. She knew that this trip was like ripping the scab off of an old wound, and it would have to heal again, and getting Ianto back to Jack was the only way to start the healing process. So she drove back to the Hub, hoping with fervor that whatever was in that vial was enough for Owen. Hoping that Owen could save Jack and they could work as a whole team to bring Fischer down. It would help to heal all of them.


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: Thanks for your patience while I work around kids and teaching to get this to a point I'm happy with. Reviews, positive or negative, are completely welcome and hoped for, so if you have a minute, let me know what you think. We're almost to the showdown; I hope it's not been too dragged out here….thanks for reading! (I own nothing.) **

**Poison: Chapter Three: The Antidote**

By the time Tosh got Ianto back to the Hub car park he had stopped crying. He wiped his face off with a towel he found in his glove compartment and took a deep breath. He looked over at Tosh, who had remained quiet for the trip back. He took a deep breath and said, "I didn't see that coming. Sorry." He really hadn't expected to melt down like that. He was upset at what he was having to do, having to say, and having to feel, but he thought it would be over once he left Fischer's house. He had been successful, since there didn't appear to be an antidote _and_ he had gotten a supply of the poison. Success, though, hadn't stopped the earthquakes in his gut and the feeling of betrayal cutting through him. He not only remembered Lisa as he did this, he also remembered the betrayal that the team, especially Jack, had felt after the showdown over Ianto's actions with Lisa. He remembered Jack asking him, about a month after the whole thing, whether Ianto had realized that he'd been the first person in a very long time of Torchwood's history to infiltrate the premises. He had sounded impressed with Ianto, at which point Ianto swore at Jack quickly, adding that if he had understood a thing about his feelings then he would know Ianto didn't care. Jack had just shrugged.

As Ianto and Tosh walked through the cog door to the Hub, Ianto knew that Jack didn't care about anything at this point, either. It was quiet, and Ianto rushed to the med bay, hoping that meant Jack was awake, but Jack was dead, and Martha Jones was standing over him, checking the wires running from his chest. She looked up at Ianto's entrance, her face falling in sympathy with him as she wordlessly climbed the stairs and gave him a hug that she seemed to need a great deal as well.

They hugged for a longer time than usual, tears threatening Ianto again as his fatigue and the sight of one of Jack's best friends getting the better of him. He stood back and took a shaky breath, grinning at Martha. He really was happy to see her here, and he told her so.

"When did you get in?" Ianto asked.

"Only just," said Martha. "I had UNIT bring me over by helicopter – I wasn't going to have anything to do with traffic trying to get here. I haven't even seen him awake yet. He was yelling when I came in." She ended quietly. Looking up at Ianto, though, she smiled again, "You had success, though! You got the poison from Fischer." She saw his face darken and she hugged him again, "I know it wasn't easy for you. We're all grateful, though." She looked back down at Jack and said, "I'm going to wait and say hello to him when he's awake and then I'll go help Owen figure this antidote out. We'll get it now that we have a sample to play with."

Ianto just nodded. It was Owen and Martha's turn to stress at the moment. Right now he just wanted to be with Jack. To see his eyes and hear his voice. He had been gone a little over an hour, and he knew that every death was going to make this harder on Jack's body and, most importantly, his mind. He and Martha went back down and stood next to Jack, knowing that he should be waking up soon. He did, with a quiet gasp, and his eyes fluttered open weakly. He saw Ianto first. "Ianto," he whispered, his voice now sounding hoarse and broken right away, as his throat wasn't getting the chance to heal completely from the constant screaming. Tears leaked out from Jack's eyes as he looked at his lover, and when he noticed Martha Jones standing over him as well, the tears flowed freely.

"Martha," he whispered hopefully. "Can you make it stop? Is that why you're here?"

Tears welled up in her eyes; too, as she looked at the man who had been the strongest and most resilient human she had ever met at a time when that is just what she (and the rest of the human race) needed at the hands of a monster. Now, though, he could hardly keep his eyes focused on her, he was pale as a mist, and even with the oxygen line he struggled to get any air behind his voice. And his shakily asked question in a voice of weakness made her doubt her own strength such as she hadn't in a long time. She offered a weak grin at Jack, trying to be strong for him, "Well, someone has to make sure Owen gets things right, don't they Captain?" He had always laughed when she called him that, and he wanted to now, a smile pulling at his eyes. She leaned over him and kissed his forehead, "We _will_ make it stop, Jack. Ianto managed to get a sample for us to work with, and Owen is separating it now and beginning our first test. UNIT had two more of the elements, and Owen thinks he can extrapolate the other two from this. We'll have you pounding on Kent Fischer's door in no time. Meanwhile, you rest and let Ianto take care of you." She paused, looking up at Ianto for a moment, "You might want to take care of Ianto, too, Jack." She winked at him.

Jack looked up at Ianto and saw the exhaustion in his eyes. Hours of sitting with Jack while the poison reduced him to a routine life span of ten minutes and then whatever talking with Fischer took out of him, Jack knew through his own haze that Ianto needed rest. Rest. The word sounded like the Holy Grail and the Elixir of Life to Jack right now. Sleep. He imagined for a moment lying in Ianto's bed at his flat just sleeping peacefully together. Simply holding Ianto while he slept was one of Jack's favorite things to do in the universe, and it sounded far away and impossible at the moment, but he could tell that Ianto was wishing for the same thing. But then the needles came back, the ice began to creep back into his bones and he knew it was happening again. He was washed in defeat and he closed his eyes to keep the tears from coming again. Martha leaned over and brushed his forehead with her lips and Ianto picked up his hand again. For a moment Jack thought of how unfair it was to have to watch him die over and over again; Ianto had often told Jack that he didn't care if his head knew Jack would always come back. He told Jack that he always held his breath anyway and felt washed in relief each time Jack revived. Ianto had been holding his breath a lot over the past few hours. 'No wonder he's tired,' was Jack's last thought before the needles and ice were joined by the fire and all three spread slowly and intensely through his body, leaving him writing and screaming from his damaged throat once more.

Martha stood and pulled Ianto into her arms and just held him while Jack screamed this time, as Ianto held Jack's hand, too. Ianto practically sagged into her after a couple minutes of it, and Jack's voice actually gave out a minute or two before his body stopped writhing in pain this time. Ianto was convinced that it wouldn't be long before Jack couldn't speak at all while he was awake. Martha held Ianto the whole time until Jack died again. Then she gave him another squeeze, leaned over and kissed Jack's cheek, and silently climbed the stairwell to get to Owen and try to save Jack.

Martha and Owen worked well together. They had before, when they had first met just before Owen's unfortunate death and resurrection of his own, and she had helped Jack and the team understand what had happened to Owen. Owen had flirted shamelessly with her every time they were around each other, but the mutual respect was overflowing. Once Martha got upstairs to the lab Owen had set up to study the poison, some of her confidence returned. He showed her chemical chains of the elements she hadn't worked on yet, and they talked about elements that might cancel out these chains.

"I think we work with what we know, right? See what happens when we counter the two elements UNIT had?" Owen began. He explained his theory of the two known elements being suspension liquids and she agreed it was a good place to start. He pulled out the blood samples he had taken from Jack in the last two hours, and they began testing combinations. It was tedious work, and Gwen and Tosh stopped in to check on them and bring them tea.

Gwen and Tosh had spent the last hour commiserating about Ianto's performance and what it meant in terms of capturing Kent Fischer. Ianto had inadvertently sent Fischer running since he thought Torchwood Three was onto him, and Tosh and Gwen complained at first, but then realized that it might not be so bad. If Ianto could manage to pick their next meeting location, they could arrange it carefully to be sure and catch him. They were hoping Fischer would contact Ianto soon, but in the meantime they set up surveillance at Fischer's current location. They agreed to rotate shifts, hoping to go in and scour the house once Fischer did leave, and they also hoped to get a tracking device on Fischer's car before he noticed. However, when they set their first surveillance up an hour later, his car was already gone and the house was dark. They still surveyed a bit before rushing into the house, but finally they did go in and search, finding nothing at all. They couldn't even figure out where his lab had been, finally surmising that he must have been working elsewhere. A reasonable assumption, and if they could find him soon, maybe they could find his lab as well.

Two hours after Martha and Owen began work on the testing, Ianto appeared in their door. He was shaken, and his voice betrayed his fear.

"Owen, he's not even waking anymore." He said, his eyes pleading with Owen to come up with anything to help.

"Not at all?" Owen said, rising and following Ianto back to Jack as his heart sank. Ianto led him downstairs to Jack, and the monitors were silent. Jack looked horrible. He had pale, dark circles under his eyes, and it was as if he'd lost several pounds in the last day. His face was drawn in death, and it hardly looked like Jack at all lying there on the table. A minute later the monitors sprang back to life, the only visible indication that Jack was back. His eyes remained shut, Owen could only see his chest rise and fall slightly, and when he checked over Jack's vitals, he found a very weak pulse, dangerously low oxygen levels, and blood pressure that would have sent anyone else straight into surgery. Owen checked Jack's pupils and there was a response, though. Jack was awake, he just couldn't respond to anything.

"Jack," Owen said, close to Jack's face. "We're almost ready to test an antidote, okay? Just hang on a bit longer. Martha's brilliant, you know. Well, with my help she's brilliant. We're almost there. I know it's hard, but Ianto's still with you and we'll get you back soon." This had all settled a debate he and Martha had been having upstairs. He looked at Ianto, standing there looking as if he'd been struck by a cricket bat. "Talk to him, mate. He can hear you. He's just too weak. We really are close, and Martha and I really are brilliant." He grinned, and left Ianto with Jack and ran back up the steps, two at a time. He had made the decision for them.

"We've got to test it on Jack, not in the computer. Now." Martha looked up.

"But what about using what we do have on something that doesn't work? We're essentially _guessing_, Owen!"

Owen cut her off emphatically. "It's a very, very, very educated guess at a time when that's the best we're going to get. This is my call. I've made it. Let's finish getting it ready and get it into him. I don't know what all of this is doing in terms of lasting damage to his body, but I'm more concerned about what it _will_ do to him mentally." Martha shook her head, and they worked as quickly as they could. A half an hour later, they went downstairs with a syringe full of what they hoped was an accurate antidote.


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: I hope these chapters aren't too short for your tastes, but I've certainly learned a valuable lesson about posting a partial story. My life doesn't make updating on a regular basis very easy right now! I do apologize for taking so long, and the next chapter will be longer and meatier. You all rock for sticking with me on this. Some reviews would be incredibly welcome – again, this is my first episode-like story and I'm not sure how I'm doing on it. Constructive criticism is the best thing I could use right now! **

**Oh, and thanks to EVERYONE who has put this on alert and on their favorite list. All of that makes my heart sing. **

Ianto stood up quickly when he saw Owen pounding down the stairs with a syringe in his hand. "You've got it?" He asked anxiously. He was seriously on edge. He _needed_ this nightmare to be over, and he _needed_ Jack back. Sitting there watching Jack wither was making his mind go in directions it hadn't been since Lisa was taken over, and that was a dark place he had never intended to return to.

Jack was light. Jack was breath, and Jack was brilliant chaos. This? This was not Jack, and Ianto needed him back. It seemed like he couldn't even see Owen as he looked at him; all he could see was the syringe in Owen's hand and what it meant for Jack.

Owen nodded at Ianto, taking a moment to double check the IV, double check all of the monitors, and assess at which stage Jack was in at the moment. Jack was still dead. "We have to do this when he's alive, obviously," he said to Ianto as Martha came down the stairs. She had called Gwen and Tosh over and they stood at the balcony, looking anxious. Owen looked around at everyone. "Listen," he said, "This is not gonna be immediate. He's really weak, and he'll probably take a few rounds before he wakes back up, and we have to watch the timing and severity of the phases to see if this is really working." Owen looked at Ianto directly. "Ianto, this is when I really need your stopwatch." He paused and said, "And don't you ever tell Jack I said that." More seriously he said, "Time each phase. We want the awake and pain-free phase to take everything else over, but I think it's going to be gradual. The way these chemicals reacted in our tests suggests that this will be like the slowing down and stopping of a pendulum. Keeping close track of the timing will tell me if it's working, okay?" Ianto nodded in response.

The team and Martha all stood anxiously as they watched the monitors for signs of life from Jack. A minute later the monitors began beeping again and Owen, after taking a deep breath of his own, plunged the drug into the IV line. Ianto timed the phase. It was the same as usual. As Jack fell into pain again Ianto clicked the stopwatch again. He watched it intensely as the second hand ticked around and clicked it again when the monitors shut off as Jack died yet again. He looked at it in disbelief and said to everyone, "The same. It was the same time." He looked at Owen accusingly, but Owen raised his hands in defense.

"Give it a round, mate. Seriously, just keep timing." He sounded confident, and he watched the monitors carefully, pointing something out to Martha on the body chemistry monitor, "Look. There. See? It is changing." He bounced on his toes as he watched Jack again. Minutes later the monitors signaled life again, and Ianto clicked the stopwatch again. He looked up hopefully at Owen - "Shorter. That was shorter by a minute." He tried not to be too hopeful, but he leaned over to Jack's ear and whispered, "Hang on, Jack, please. Owen and Martha have given you an antidote and it's kicking in. Just hang on," he said desperately as he kept an eye on the stopwatch.

Owen and Martha were watching the chemistry monitor carefully, and Ianto ran his fingers through Jack's hair as he watched his face intently. Twenty minutes later they knew something was changing. The times had stretched out just as Owen had hoped, with the pain phase lasting four minutes instead of seven, and the death phase down to two. Jack still hadn't regained real consciousness, though. Tosh and Gwen had slid down to sitting on the balcony, and Owen and Martha had found stools to sit on in the bay. Ianto had Jack's hand and the stopwatch, and they were all watching Jack hopefully. This time, when the monitors beeped, Ianto actually heard Jack's intake of breath, along with a slight squeeze of the hand he was holding.

Jack felt as if there were piles of bricks on his chest and abdomen, and he couldn't breathe properly, but he could tell that someone was holding his hand. He heard Ianto's voice talking to him, but Jack didn't have any energy to make sense of the words, and he felt as if he might slip away from the sounds of Ianto's voice and be crushed by the bricks at any moment. He held on to the hand holding his, though, wanting to open his eyes and sit up and let Ianto hold him until he was strong again. He heard other voices like they were coming through a curtain, but Ianto's voice was clear. Right in his ear, whispering words of comfort and assurances. The other voices were muffled and harsh. He didn't care about that. He held onto Ianto's voice as long as he could, but then the ice and needles came again. He was sure he was delusional, though, since the ice didn't feel quite as cold or the needles quite as sharp. He still involuntarily writhed, though, and his pain shuddered out of his very sore throat in waves of choking sobs, since he couldn't even manage to scream. This time, though, he could feel Ianto's hands as he sobbed, fingers running up and down his face, as though trying to forcibly smooth his features into relief from the pain. It didn't work, though, and Jack felt the darkness of death come once again as the only release from the horrific pain.

"Shorter." Ianto said quietly. "He had seven minutes free that time." Ianto looked at Owen directly and with gratitude in his voice. "It's working." Owen nodded and turned back to the body chemistry monitor, writing notes as he stared. Martha stood over Jack and asked Owen about adding painkiller to the IV now that the phases were shorter. He agreed to a mild sedative and she drew it out and plunged it into the line as soon as the monitors and Jack's intake of breath told her that he was back.

Ianto looked at Owen, "That death phase was still two minutes," he said. Owen nodded, still assured that this was working.

When Jack revived this time, he felt like someone had pulled some of the bricks off of his chest. He tried to take a deep breath, even, and felt the air rush into his lungs like a clear breeze. As he did so, he felt a warmth flood through his veins, and he knew they'd drugged him with something good. He was determined to open his eyes, and he took another deep breath and pried them open, seeing Ianto standing over him, concern, worry, and relief washing over his face in succession. He leaned over to Jack and kissed him lightly on the forehead, lingering for a moment in relief. "Jack, the antidote seems to be working," Ianto began. Owen crowded in and pushed Ianto aside asking Jack to grip his hands, asking if he knew what had happened to him or the last thing he remembered. "Gotta make sure this crap didn't short any circuits in your head, you know," he added less than gracefully. Jack tried to get his voice to work, but the only word he could get his throat to allow was, "Poison."

Owen nodded, "That's good. You're right. Good." At that, Jack closed his eyes again. The weight on his chest didn't seem as heavy, but that seemed to just make him more aware of his exhaustion. He tried another word for Owen: "Tired." Owen and Ianto both grinned at each other and Owen ruffled Jack's hair and said, "Yeah. Yeah, I know you are, Jack. Rest. We've tried a different painkiller, and if you can start getting some catnaps between pain, that will help." Jack tried to nod, but really just felt himself slipping into sleep, deciding that this was a good time to follow Owen's orders.

Ianto looked at Martha and Owen gratefully as Jack seemed to slip into sleep, and they all watched a minute later as his body tensed in pain, but he didn't cry out or even seem to wake. Ianto panicked again, though, as the pain phase lasted _longer_ that time. Owen said to wait, just wait, and sure enough the next victory came when Jack didn't actually die at all this time. He was clearly in pain throughout what should have been the death phase, but he didn't flat line, and he sucked in another deep breath at the end of the four minutes. His eyes fluttered open, and this time Gwen and Tosh came and kissed him and whispered assurances as he tried to focus on them. He was fighting exhaustion he hadn't felt since the Valiant, though, and focus wasn't coming easily. His body was grabbing its chance to sleep as it could, and it did, for twelve minutes this time until the tension of pain came back. It was a welcomed improvement, though, and this new cycle went on for the next hour.

It was at the end of the next hour when Martha managed to get the sedative dose right and Jack managed to sleep straight through the pain, and they all relaxed visibly, knowing that if Jack could sleep then he could heal and return to them. It was at that moment, though, that Ianto's phone rang, with Kent Fischer waiting on the end of the line to hear how the new dose of poison was working on the man he hated most in the world.

And Ianto was unprepared. He had been so focused on the antidote and Jack and being there when Jack woke up better that he hadn't been prepared for this phone call. He had a clear head, though, a bit high from the joy of Jack's impending recovery, and he quickly strode up the steps as he said, "Hello? Fischer?" As everyone around him went quickly silent and Gwen rushed up to him as he reached the balcony. Tosh ran to her station to try and trace the call, and Ianto spoke confidently, and thought quickly.

"Yes. Yes, it's working better. The cycles have evened out again, back to their usual frequency. Took a bit of time, but they did." He paused, "Yes, I've informed UNIT of my plan to include you and they're on it. They want to meet you and debrief you on what you know about Captain Harkness as soon as they can." Ianto paused as Gwen shoved a piece of paper under his nose that read "get him to meet you here: _" and it he read the address into the phone – "Can you meet me there? Good. Bring your files." Ianto listened and his face fell a bit. "I will be alone. UNIT isn't going to come in yet. They know you'll want to meet with them on your own terms. We'll set those out when we meet." He paused again, "An hour? Wait. Make it two. They'll be suspicious if I rush out of here." He nodded into the phone and then hung up, looking at Gwen and Tosh.

"We're meeting in two hours at the address you gave me. Where is it?" he asked.

Tosh answered: "It's a warehouse with only one access point and not too much free space for him to move around in. We'll surround him and bring him in." She grinned, "UNIT debriefing indeed, Ianto. Good thinking." And Ianto smiled as Gwen spoke the words they were all thinking, "And two hours from now Jack might be able to join us."


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: So I have learned a lot of lessons this summer about writing fanfic. First of all, summer is not the best time to begin a multi-chapter story. Kidlets off school and all that summer playing really cuts into the writing time. Second of all, I shouldn't start a multi-chapter story without a better plan. The muses deserted me for a while recently. Finally, this chapter had to fix some dumb mistakes I made in the last chapter. Hopefully it didn't present any major new mistakes to fix next time. Thanks for your patience! **

**Oh, and reviews? I really, really like 'em. Even if you don't like what I'm doing (that's actually more helpful, and unless you just call me an idiot I won't mind criticism at all), I could still use some help from experienced readers. Thanks!**

**I don't own Torchwood. I guess Fischer is a creation of mine, but don't tell the science professor two doors down from my office that I borrowed his name. He's really a nice guy and nothing at all like this jerk.**

Owen stopped them as they came out of the armory, with a grim look on his face. "What, Owen?" asked Ianto anxiously, "Is Jack all right?"

Owen nodded, "Martha's with him and he's still sleeping, but fitfully. Look, I want to say two things before you all go rushing after Fischer. One, if he actually has files on Jack, we _really_ need them. No one understands how Jack's body works, even Jack himself, but Fischer figured it out _and_ made terroristic use out of it. You can't bring him in unless he gives you those files first. If they fall into the wrong hands, Jack could be in real trouble."

Ianto gave him a small grin, "And you really want to read them."

Owen shook his head and said with a small smile, "I don't care, mate, really. I don't have to treat him medically very often and I don't want to kill him _very_ often, so I don't need 'em. Someone might, though, and it's better if we have the files." Ianto and Gwen nodded.

"What was the second thing, Owen?" asked Gwen.

He looked at her, "Two, if you think Jack can go out in the field with you, you're crazy. " Ianto looked confused, "But I thought he was evening out pretty well, Owen." Owen nodded, "Evening out, yes. But the pain scale is still really bad. If he were to try and manage it on his own he'd fuck up your operation, not to mention himself. Besides, I'm not sure you heard him correctly, but he's wiped out. I am not authorizing him for the field. Bring Fischer back here after you get his files and if Jack feels up to kicking his arse at that point, then I'll grant him permission to do so. That's it." Owen didn't even wait for an answer; he just stalked away.

Gwen, Ianto, and Tosh looked sheepishly at each other and Ianto shrugged. "Perhaps we should do a bit of planning?" Nodding, they all made their way to the board room to figure out a plan for getting the files.

The warehouse was on the outskirts of the city, about a twenty minute drive. Ianto drove himself again, feeling a little uncomfortable in the Kevlar vest Gwen insisted that he wear. The conversation to get ready was heated, and Ianto had won on most counts, but Gwen did win on the vest.

"Yes, let's get Jack better only to have you shot and killed in the meantime. Don't be daft."

"But if he thinks for a second that I'm nervous, then he will stop trusting me at all. It's bad enough that you're making me go in mic'd again, though I do see the need. Seriously, though, if he figures anything out..."

Gwen finished the sentence for him, "He's smart enough to make your hair turn permanently blue, and Jack wouldn't like that either." She grinned, trying to lighten the mood. Ianto smiled back. They agreed that he'd have a vest, go in mic'd, and try to get the files. Once he had them, Gwen and Tosh and Martha would move in.

He drove in silence to the warehouse, no music on and trying to get his mind back in the place it was the last time he met with Fischer. Angry, scheming, and ruthless. It was much harder to do this time because he had such hope for Jack's recovery. He was disappointed in himself because he had the nagging feeling that if he couldn't do this, then Jack would just take care of everything once he was recovered. That was an attitude that needed to change. Just because he loved Jack didn't mean that he needed to depend on him to solve everything. For once he'd like to solve a Torchwood problem without Jack having to save the day.

The warehouse was on the outskirts of the city, and Ianto's mind did calm down by the time he arrived. He just couldn't get himself angry at Jack again, though, but he did go back through the list of Jack's indiscretions, rather like a mantra, and he managed to feel at least calm and confident by the time he arrived.

The warehouse was not dark, just deserted. It was two stories high, rather new-looking, and the grounds were very neat. It was as if a fastidious company owned it. When Ianto arrived at the warehouse he carefully parked his car and stepped out. He and Fischer had agreed to meet outside the door, and Ianto stood near it and waited. The lot was empty, even though it was mid-afternoon. It was a warm day for Cardiff, and Ianto was sweating in the vest and his usual suit. He was sure nerves figured in as well. He waited and looked at his watch. He looked at the warehouse door, and at the trees lining the parking lot. He looked and waited for an hour, and Fischer didn't show. Finally, he shook his head and said out loud, "I'm heading back. This is a wash." He was angry, and he climbed back in the car and started it in frustration. He began the drive back to the hub, but, after a few minutes, he felt the tip of a gun pressed into the side of his neck. The cold metal twisted itself into his neck and a quiet growl surfaced from the back seat.

"Drive downtown, Jones, and I'll tell you where to park and we'll talk. Keep your hands on the wheel the whole time, or I _will_ shoot." Fischer paused, "And no, I don't care if that means we crash. I'll survive. It's what I do." Fisher's voice was even and strong, and Ianto stole a glance in the rearview mirror, seeing a well-dressed scientist holding a gun, and nothing more. Fischer was calm, his eyes ice cold and steadily staring at Ianto as he drove. As Ianto drove, it was all he could do to keep his hands on the wheel from turning white with nerves; he was sure Tosh had probably turned off the monitors when he told them he was heading back. Who knew how long it would take them to find out where he went, if they could. Fischer directed Ianto around the streets of Cardiff until they had found their way roundabout to a parking spot not too far from the Hub and the Plass itself. Ianto parked, and Fischer issued his next command.

"Now. You will get out of the car and go into the coffee shop, there. You will wait for me to enter, and then there's a back door to the shop that you will use to exit. Heading north out of the alley you will then walk down the street. You will turn left and walk for three blocks. At the end of three blocks you will turn right, and there will be an alley. You will go down the alley and wait. Then we'll talk. I know you're wearing a vest, but I should tell you that I'm a good shot. I won't be aiming for your chest." He paused again. "Oh, and take your cell phone out of your pocket and lay it on the seat. I know they can track you through that."

Ianto knew he had two choices: one, he could try and disarm Fischer as they got out of the car, and at least succeed at running down the city street, hoping Fischer wouldn't fire into the busy thoroughfare. Two, he could follow Fischer's orders, play it cool, and still try and get what he needed. Seemed fairly obvious to him, so he climbed slowly out of the car, letting Fischer keep him covered, and he walked into the shop with confidence. He waited for Fischer to enter and was surprised when Fischer halted him and approached again. "Mr. Jones, please leave your coat and waistcoat on the chair, there. And put this fedora on, please." Ianto cursed inwardly, knowing Fischer was trying to deceive the CCTV recognition software in case Tosh tried to find him. It just might work, too. He did as was told, though, and exited the back door of the shop as he had been ordered.

Ianto followed the other instructions to the tee, his blood pressure rising the further he got from his car, his cell phone, and the team's only ways of tracking him. He thought furiously the whole way, hoping to come up with some other plan to escape if Fischer had any bloody plans for him. Finally he came to the alleyway Fischer had planned on.

He turned around to face Fischer once they were deep inside the shaded alleyway, using he real anger and frustration to sell his words, "What's this about? I thought we had a deal. I get the poison back in Jack's system, and you help me take him down by providing UNIT with the files on him that you used to concoct the poison! I even have better news for you, but no, you're wasting our time playing Cloak and Dagger. Explain." He kept his own voice cold and even, trying not to let the panic that was rising show, thinking that Fischer probably had at least an hour before Tosh would be able to figure out how to find Ianto at this point. At least.

Fischer smiled. "The 'Cloak and Dagger', Mr. Jones, is because I don't trust you. I told you before that I knew you were lying about at least one thing you told me, and I'm confident I was right. Here," he said, sweeping his arms around to view the alleyway, "we can talk uninterrupted, and I can decide what I believe from you _today_. Now, you said you had better news? What do you mean?"

Ianto smiled coldly and replied, "They're going to freeze him."

Fischer's face lit up at that, and he said, "What? You mean put him in cryo?"

Ianto nodded. "Yes. He's in a horrible state at this point," and Ianto tried to pour mock-sympathy into his voice, "they don't want him to be miserable forever, and this will give them time to find an antidote, or so Harper thinks." Ianto smiled again, "Which will basically put a nice little bow on our present for UNIT if Harkness is already frozen and completely out of commission when they step in, which is further ammunition for an administrative takeover if he's in such a bad state that they have to freeze him. Then they can get rid of the team and leave him there indefinitely."

Fischer nodded, "I wondered when cryogenic suspension was going to be an option for them. I rather thought they might do it sooner."

"They were worried how it might affect the poison, actually," he replied, saying exactly what Owen had said when Ianto had furtively brought it up hours ago. "Now, they don't know what else to do." He raised his voice excitedly, "You see, Fischer? You did it. He's out of the picture completely. Now if you give me the files that UNIT wanted as collateral, we can arrange a meeting to negotiate a contract for the two of us. Write our own job description in the new Torchwood regime! Cut the drama bullshit and let's get on with it, okay?"

Fischer paused thoughtfully, and Ianto thought from the look on his face that he might just have done it.

When Ianto told Tosh and Gwen that he was heading back to the hub, they did exactly what he thought. Tosh was tired, so she switched off the SUV computers. They couldn't believe Fischer was a no-show. They rode back in near-silence and when they got to the car park Tosh told Gwen and Martha that she'd wait for Ianto, and the other two made their way back down to the hub to see Jack. Tosh stood next to the SUV for a while before she started to get worried. She let fifteen minutes or so pass before she rang Ianto's mobile and got no answer. Now she was really worried. She hurried downstairs, pulled up the tracking system she had, and searched for Ianto's car as she called out to Gwen.

"What is it, Tosh?" Gwen asked as she walked up behind her, seeing the tracking system on the screen.

"Ianto hasn't come back yet and he's not answering his mobile. He should only have been a few minutes behind us." She scanned the feedback from her program thoughtfully, finally saying, "There! He parked his car without coming back here." She paused thoughtfully, "That's weird. He parked next to a coffee shop," and she switched to the CCTV software, scanning back to when Ianto's car arrived next to the shop. She played back the footage, which showed Ianto and Fischer getting out of the car. "What the hell? Fischer was in his car?"

Gwen watched the cameras for a minute, and then said, "Shit! His microphone, Tosh! Turn it back on!" Tosh smacked herself quickly and then ran her hands across her keyboard and the mic turned back on. They heard Fischer's voice, "You said you had better news? What do you mean?"

While Gwen listened carefully to the conversation, Tosh continued to scan the CCTV footage of the area, looking desperately for Ianto. She was running the recognition software for him and scanning with her eyes, hoping to find him either way. They couldn't lose him. He was completely on his own right now and he was just as tired and worried and muddled as the rest of them. Except he wasn't. Tosh heard Ianto tell Fischer about the cryogenic suspension and she nearly laughed out loud, "Brilliant, Ianto. Brilliant!" She kept up her work at finding him, but listened as well, thinking that Ianto might just do the job of convincing Fischer to hand over the files. Just then one of her programs beeped an alert. It wasn't Ianto that the recognition software had found; it was Fischer. She followed the footage and as she listened to the conversation, she found the street and the alley where the two men were hatching their plans. Which led her to another revelation: If Fischer did hand over the files and leave, she would bet her favorite laptop on the fact that she could track Fischer on CCTV from there and find out where he was hiding.


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N: I'm trying to finish this satisfactorily, but who knows. It's almost there. There are one or two more chapters, probably, to wrap things up. Thanks for sticking with me through this, my first ever fanfic. At least Jack is back by the end of this one, and maybe he will get to kick Fischer around a little before the end of the story. Oh, and I call it a "jump drive" but many call it a "thumb drive," some call it simply a USB drive, and perhaps other names exist for it. It's small, portable, and can carry lots and lots of electronic files.**

**I'd appreciate any feedback/reviews you could muster. **

****

Fischer never lowered his gun. Ianto thought the seconds that passed after he demanded that Fischer hand over the files were pregnant and bloated, and that the nerves and heat were going to overcome him and cause him to completely lose it. He held it together, though, and after an eternity Fischer did dig in his pocket and pull out a jump drive. He held it up.

"Collateral, Jones. You've got it."

Ianto tried not to be too eager, but he reached for the drive and Fischer handed it over. Sliding it into his pocket, Ianto nodded. He knew that the original plan to collapse on Fischer and take him in now wouldn't work since Gwen and the others were probably sitting back at the Hub, so he improvised.

"Call me in an hour and I'll give you the UNIT location and orders, okay?" He said hopefully.

Fischer shook his head. Another wrench was thrown: "No. You call them right now. Arrange it here in front of me. I need to know where to go and when, and I'm not quite ready to let you walk away yet. Collateral means that I get the next bit _now_." He smiled ominously at Ianto, as if daring him to make the next move and prove that it wasn't a set-up.

Ianto didn't know what to do, but he knew one thing: Tosh was good at thinking quick. So he took the phone handed to him by Fischer and dialed the Torchwood emergency line, hoping this would be the first signal to Tosh that she needed to improvise. He heard her pick up the line and she simply said, "Yes? Are you ready?" Perfect. That meant they had his mic back on and had been listening to the conversation.

"It's Jones. Authorization code 9851B. I need the location and time for project Capulet."

He waited, and after a pause, Tosh responded,

"Location 42. Time, thirty minutes from now." Ianto nodded into the phone, eyes locked on Fischer. He was counting on Tosh to not only give him the information quickly, but to also trace to Fischer's phone and scramble the number he called so that if Fischer called it back later it might actually take him to a UNIT line. He hoped. He hung up and handed Fischer his phone back. "I've got a location and they'll meet us thirty minutes from now. We can go together," Ianto said with confidence. It sure looked like they were definitely doing this without Jack's help now.

Back at the Hub, Tosh took Ianto's call and gave him the location that she and Gwen had agreed upon earlier. It was public, not out of the way, but not overly busy on a regular basis as well, so that if this came to violence they'd have few bystanders. Owen walked up to the station she was working on and said, "You know, you might have a problem getting to Fischer and Ianto. He obviously has been watching us. He knows us, and he'll hurt Ianto quick if he sees any of us coming."

Tosh nodded, "I know. That's why Martha's taking lead." She smiled. "We did try to think of everything… We'll bring him in here and have to improvise on finding his computer, though, to get the root files, but maybe Jack will be well enough to help getting some info out of him." She smiled at Owen. "How is he?" She said softly.

"We're keeping him sedated for now. Give his body a chance to rest. The monitors are still indicating significant pain levels, but hopefully they'll calm down soon." Owen sighed. "I'm hoping having a look at those files will help us figure a way to get rid of it completely a bit faster, actually. This pendulum thing is going slowly."

Tosh nodded, and then gave Owen a quick hug, "You're doing your best and it's brilliant so far. Look at us, both being brilliant." She winked and he grinned.

"Stay safe, Tosh, and bring the bastard in so I can at least kick his arse properly." She smiled and went over to the cog door where Martha and Gwen were waiting. They were all armed with stun guns, a hand gun, and cuffs; though they hoped they wouldn't have to use them. It was time to bring Fischer in. He'd been loose long enough.

Ianto and Fischer walked into the café they'd been directed to, and sat down stiffly in a corner booth. A few minutes later, Martha Jones, wearing a smart suit and carrying a briefcase, joined them. Fischer looked calm. He knew what he wanted and thought he was about to get it. Ianto, on the other hand, was a nervous wreck on the inside. He was good, though, at his calm mask, but right now it really was just a mask. He didn't really know what this plan was, though he immediately noted the brightness of having Martha lead the mission since Fischer didn't know her and she did really work for UNIT. As a matter of fact, she flashed her UNIT id as soon as she approached; sounding officious and matter-of-fact when she told them she was there to negotiate the contract. Fischer smiled, and nodded at Ianto.

Martha pulled out some paperwork from her briefcase; she also pulled out a pen. A special pen. She managed to plunge it into Fischer's arm discreetly, and his face crumbled in disbelief; he hadn't thought he'd let anyone close enough to disarm him like this. Whatever Martha used, though, was fast-acting, and he slumped forward onto the table. A few patrons nearby gasped, but Martha said to anyone who was listening, "It's okay. I'm a doctor. Come on, Ianto, let's get him outside where we can check him properly." They maneuvered Fischer outside, where Gwen was standing with the SUV's back door propped open.

"That went smoothly, thank God," She said, thinking it was about time things went their way. She helped Martha get Fischer inside the boot of the SUV, Ianto climbed in the side, and they began the drive back to the Hub. Ianto slumped in the seat next to Martha with his eyes closed on the drive back, and Tosh noticed. She turned around from the front passenger side and asked, "Are you okay, Ianto?" She knew the last encounter with Fischer had cost him a lot of energy, and this one probably wasn't much easier. She also knew none of them had slept in a long time, and Ianto had probably been on the biggest emotional rollercoaster of anyone.

He opened his eyes briefly, looked at her, and closed them again, "He wants to kill Jack. He hurt Jack. Now he's passed out in the back of the SUV and we'll be putting him in a cell next to Janet and God only knows what Jack will do to him." He didn't say anything else, and Tosh and Gwen and Martha shared a glance, a silent acknowledgement of his unstated exhaustion. When they arrived back at the Hub, Ianto and Gwen dragged Fischer down to the cells and did, indeed, put him in the cell next to Janet. She howled angrily as they passed, and Ianto let Gwen do the locking up, feeling the need to escape to Jack overwhelming him. He practically ran up the steps and over to the med bay where the table Jack had been on was empty and no one was around. He was confused.

"Owen!" he yelled just as Owen appeared at the ledge, as if he'd tried to beat Ianto to the area but just missed him.

"Ianto. We moved him to the couch outside his office to be more comfortable. Come on." This gave Ianto even more hope for Jack's recovery. They were unconcerned about monitoring now, and that had to be good. He followed Owen up the steps to the couch area.

Jack lay on the couch under a blanket, with his head on its side on the pillow they'd found. He was sleeping, but he didn't look relaxed. Ianto knelt down next to him, ran his hand over Jack's forehead slowly, and looked up at Owen questioningly. Owen nodded, "I stopped the sedation. I left the IV port in just in case he needs it, but I want to see how he's doing on his own now. He should wake up soon; I stopped the sedation just after the girls left. Stay with him, and give us a yell when he wakes up, all right?" Ianto nodded.

Owen left and Ianto sat himself down on the floor from kneeling, finding a disheveled looking throw pillow to sit on and taking his jacket off tiredly. He didn't know how much longer he was going to be able to stay awake himself. He could hear Gwen hovering around the coffee machine, but she was on her own for the moment as far as Ianto was concerned. He gazed at Jack, wondering what they'd find when Jack woke up, wondering what Jack would want to do with Fischer, and wondering how he was going to be able to look at Jack after dredging up everything from their tortured past in his own mind and selling it to Fischer. He watched Jack sleep and found himself adjusting his position so that he could lean his head on Jack's arm, and without meaning to, he fell asleep. What felt like a second later, but was actually at least a half hour, he heard Jack's voice.

"Ianto. Ianto?" and, after a pause, "Hey." Ianto lifted his head up with a small smile and looked at Jack.

"Hey yourself," Ianto said softly. He took Jack's hand in his and ran his fingers through Jack's hair slowly, as if to reassure himself of Jack's coherent presence. "How are you feeling?" he asked.

Jack gave Ianto his own small, private smile, and said, "Still tired. But my butt is more comfortable now. Sheesh. How long did Owen make me lay on that table when all I was doing was waking up, screaming, and dying?" His grin broadened, and he lifted his own hand to the side of Ianto's face. "You look like hell," Jack said, and, after a pause, "In the best looking way possible, of course."

They took a moment to just look each other over, assessing, and then Ianto fulfilled his promise to Owen and yelled, "Oi! Owen! He's complaining about the table. Get up here and justify it for him like you kept doing to me!" He winced as he stood up, feeling the hours of the past two days crash down upon him, but he was determined to ignore them for a bit longer, until they knew what Jack was up against without any drugs to help.

Owen bounded up the steps carrying his med kit, and Martha came with him, smiling down at Jack and wrapping her arm around Ianto's waist, "I'll hold up your boyfriend for a bit, Jack. Just so he doesn't fall over on you and add insult to injury by falling asleep." Jack grinned and Ianto didn't protest, but he straightened a bit, determined not to actually lean on her. She held him tighter, knowing he was putting on an act for Jack. They watched as Owen took Jack's vitals and gave him a small glass of water. Jack sat up and drank it greedily, stopping only when it was gone. He took a deep breath, and asked Ianto, "So, did you get him?"

Ianto only nodded, and after a moment Martha answered, "He's in the cells. Tosh has the drive with the files, but we're going to have to find out where his own computer is to be sure we're able to wipe everything. That might be a problem, but Tosh is working on it." Just then Tosh and Gwen came up and gave Jack some hugs and stepped back, looking at Owen expectantly.

He raised his hands. "Don't look at me yet. His vitals are good, heart rate a bit too high for resting, but that's understandable. Let's give him a few minutes and then I'll check him over again."

Jack asked how the apprehension of Fischer went, and Ianto began to explain the almost-botched operation while Tosh chimed in about Ianto's improvisational skills.

Jack leered at Ianto and said to the others, "Yeah. He's good at improvising." Ianto rolled his eyes, but then saw Jack tense up and heard Jack's breath hitch in pain. Owen was there immediately, and Jack leaned back on stiff arms and clenched his teeth.

"Jack?" Ianto asked, kneeling down again and grasping Jack's arm. Jack just shook his head and said through the clenched teeth, "Just give me a minute." They all watched as Jack's face got pale, his head dropped to his chest in pain, and his breathing rate increased. It was as if he had horrible cramps, and he drew his legs up and folded on himself, holding his legs like he was trying to keep them attached. Owen checked his pulse continuously, and Ianto quickly sat down behind Jack, ready to hold him up if necessary. He was sure Jack was going to pass out, but he didn't. After two minutes of the intense pain, Jack slumped back into Ianto's arms and broke out in a sweat, trying to slow down his breathing and looking very much like he was going to throw up the water he just drank. Sure enough, just as Martha grabbed a waste bin and held it out to him, he did. When he was done, he leaned back against Ianto, shaking and wiping his mouth with his sleeve.

"All right," Owen said almost to himself, "Now we know how you're feeling."

Jack gave a weak smile to the group, "It's better than the yelling, though, right? You gotta admit that much."


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N: So break week is good for writing! Here's a long chapter for all of you wonderful people who have favorited and alerted this story. Thank you so much! I would love more feedback – I worry about plotting things and pacing. Any reviews would be, of course, welcome. Thank you so much to TheTrueGalifreyan and Best-in-Red for their kind reviews and support so far, as well as Talia for making me feel like a pretty good fanfic writer. You folks all rock. I own nothing related to Torchwood except my love for it.**

Ianto threw his arm around Jack's shoulder, and Owen checked Jack's pulse and eyes and listened to his chest again, shaking his head. "_And_ you're slowing down again, back to normal. I think that's probably going to be the cycle for a bit now. Rest and pain, hopefully gradually diminishing pain, but pain for a bit. Two minutes out of fifteen might not be too bad if we can get it toned down, but I think at least a painkiller is warranted. I'll be right back." He hurried down to the med bay to bring back a syringe of painkiller. Meanwhile, Gwen was standing at the edge of the nearby workstation watching her colleagues.

She knew everyone was wiped out, not just Jack. She also knew they had Fischer in the cells, even though they still needed to find his home base and lab. She cleared her throat. "Listen." They looked up at her authoritative tone. "Everyone, and I mean everyone, needs some rest. We have Fischer and he's not going anywhere. His lab isn't going anywhere. His computer isn't going anywhere. So seeing as you're not in any condition to be giving orders, Jack, I'm ordering everyone to sleep. Or at least rest. Tosh, go home. Owen, if you don't feel you can go home, then you get this couch. Martha, go back to your hotel. Jack and Ianto, I presume you can pick between Jack's bunker or Ianto's flat, so you two have no excuse. I'm staying here if Owen goes home, or going home myself." She looked at Owen, who had just emerged with the painkiller, with her eyes raised, waiting for an answer.

He said, "You go home, Gwen. I'll take the couch and call you if anything pops through the rift. We've been lucky so far; it'd be typical for our luck to run out tonight. Jack, I want you to stay here for now, though you, Teaboy, are not needed, so if you want to ditch him and go home, that's fine with me."

Ianto glared at Owen and said, "I'll stay."

Jack shook his head and laughed quietly, "Ordered around by Gwen _and_ Owen. I really need this situation solved soon." He didn't protest, though, and really felt like the sooner he could get to his bunk the better everything would be. He looked Ianto, sitting next to him on the couch with his eyes closed. "Ianto's already asleep anyway. Owen, you want to join me in my bunk and leave Ianto on the couch?" He raised his eyebrows at Owen and Owen just shook his head.

"In Ianto's dreams, Jack," he retorted.

"'m not asleep." Ianto mumbled, without opening his eyes. "'An' I'm not letting Owen near Jack's bed. I'd have to wash the sheets again." Owen hit Ianto with a pillow and knelt down next to Jack.

"Okay, I'm going to give this to you through the canella, Jack. It'll be fast and should last a few hours." Owen looked at Ianto, "Hey. Wake up, Ianto. Can you help him down to his bed before you pass out?" Ianto nodded and sat up. "Here we go, Jack," Owen said as he plunged the painkiller into Jack's hand. "You should be able to sleep through a few hours' worth of the pain from here. Go on, go downstairs."

Jack felt the medicine plunge into his vein and took a deep breath at the warmth. Ianto stood up and helped Jack to his feet, steadying him as he walked toward his office and the ladder to his bunk. Ianto went down first, and stood at the bottom, ready to help if Jack slipped. He didn't, though, and the others watched the two men disappear into the hole. Everyone dispersed as Gwen had ordered, and Owen lay down on the couch, asleep as soon as his eyes shut. He'd do better with the files after rest anyway, he justified to himself.

When Jack climbed off of the ladder in his bunk, he turned toward the small bathroom off the left of the bed, but his legs buckled halfway there. Ianto caught him with a sigh, "Come on, you can clean up later. Just sleep." Jack nodded and Ianto shuffled Jack to the edge of the bed, pulling back the sheets and duvet. Jack climbed in, and Ianto peeled off his own shirt and shoes and pants and climbed in next to him.

"You're not going to sleep if I'm tensing up every thirteen minutes," Jack mumbled into the pillow.

Ianto smiled, "I'll bet I will. I'm tired enough to sleep through a hurricane on a park bench right now." He wrapped Jack in his arms, stroking his hair, and both of them were asleep in under a minute. The painkillers _did_ keep Jack asleep, and Ianto _did_ sleep through the tensing of Jack's body, and he didn't even notice Jack get up a few hours later to shower.

He heard the sound of the water, though, having become a light sleeper since spending so many nights with Jack, who was always careful to avoid waking Ianto as he climbed out of bed after the few hours he needed sleeping, but who couldn't figure out how to keep Ianto from noticing the empty space after he was gone.

It felt good to Jack to clean up a bit and, quite honestly, it felt good to be alone for a few minutes. Even though he'd not been very aware for much of the last two days, he'd been hovered over the whole time, and it was nice to have some privacy for a bit. He had timed it carefully, though, being awakened five minutes before with the same excruciating pain as earlier as the pain meds wore off, but crawling out of the bed and keeping from crying out and waking Ianto. He had then climbed into the shower, knowing that he had about ten minutes before needing to worry about it again, letting the water revive him from the haze of the previous days and wash away the rough feeling he had all over his skin, as though the pain and deaths from the poison had created an imaginary scab over his whole body that needed to be peeled away in order to heal. He scrubbed at his skin with a fervor, trying to feel normal again, but knowing that the pain would come again soon, mucking up his pores and leaving him dependent on drugs and Owen once again. He really hated Fischer for this.

Jack didn't want to finish the shower, but he also didn't want to deal with the pain in a wet tub, either, so he shut off the water and dried off, pulling on a shirt and pants but not bothering with the dress shirt and braces at this point. As he was putting on his shirt, Ianto stirred in the bed, but Jack leaned over and combed his hand through his lover's hair, kissing him softly on the forehead and telling him to go back to sleep. It was a sure sign of how tired Ianto really was that he said, "'kay," and rolled over and was snoring lightly again in less than a minute. Jack smiled and then climbed the ladder out of the bunker to leave Ianto alone. He knew that Ianto had done the brunt of the work to bring Fischer in and he needed to rest.

Jack emerged in his office and saw Owen sleeping on the couch near the door. Not trying to be a martyr, Jack simply wanted those who had taken care of him to get some rest, so he shut his office door and was walking back to his chair to get through the next round when the pain hit again. He didn't quite make it to his desk chair as planned, and crumpled to the floor, knocking the dust bin over in the process. Pain shot through his limbs like the fire from before, and the needles seemed to stab at the back of his neck relentlessly, pouring nausea into his stomach and sending thunder through his head. When the needles stopped stabbing and the fire receded, Jack was aware of soft hands helping him to his desk, and he looked up weakly to see Martha standing over him, guiding him to his seat. He slumped into his chair, took several deep breaths, and looked up at Martha with a weak smile. "Thanks. I didn't quite make it to the chair the first time."

She smiled back at him and said, "So I take it the painkillers wore off. I heard you close your door and wondered why you would do that. Are you being noble again?" Her voice was laced with kindness and a bit of chiding, and he grinned up at her, rubbing his temples as he spoke.

"Everyone needs more sleep. I know what's coming every twelve minutes; I just left Ianto's stopwatch downstairs so I was off by a few seconds." He sighed.

"Do you want me to go get you another dose of painkillers, Jack?" She asked quietly.

"No," Jack said emphatically. "Not yet. I want to think about this clearly first. Give me a round or two with a clear head and we'll see what's next." He paused and then looked more closely at his friend, "Why are you here? You should be sleeping, too."

She grinned, "I got a few hours. I wasn't running on as few as everyone else and I thought you and Owen might need some help. Besides, I hate hotel rooms. They depress me, even when I'm sleeping."

"Yeah, and this place is a barrel of laughs at the moment," Jack said, shaking his head. "What are we going to do, Martha?" He asked, seriously, all of a sudden.

She was confused, "About what, Jack?"

He sighed again, "_Fischer_. What are we going to do with him? He knows too much about me and can't really be let lose, right? We'd have to retcon at least fifteen years away from him if we want him to forget about this, and if we give him to UNIT, well, he thinks he has something they want, and what's to stop him from convincing them he _has_ got something?"

"Do you really think UNIT would buy what he's selling, Jack? Do you think they'd try to bring you down?" She said, incredulously. Jack had a pretty healthy ego, that's for sure, but this seemed a bit much to her.

He sighed again, "No. I don't think they _want_ to, but if they thought they could get rid of me, or if they could use the information to do different tests. . ." his voice trailed off and then he looked up at her again, "I've been a test subject before, Martha, and I'm _never_ letting anyone do that to me again if I can help it," he ended vehemently. Martha nodded, knowing what he was talking about and not wishing that on him again in all of eternity, though she knew he _had_ all of eternity and would likely end up on the wrong end of a science experiment before it was all over for him. She didn't blame him for trying to avoid it, though.

"I know, Jack. Okay. Let's talk to Fischer first. Maybe he'll inadvertently give us some idea." She rested her hand on his shoulder and gently rubbed his back. Despite his emergence from his bunk and his professed need for little sleep, she knew he wasn't quite thinking clearly yet. She was worried about him. He had lost weight, his eyes were dark, and she noticed that even before the pain began there was a tremble in his hands. A minute later, the pain began again. He clenched the hand rests on his desk chair and his knuckles turned white, and he clenched his teeth and shut his eyes, his breathing ragged and gasping.

After the pain passed, he leaned back in his chair and closed his eyes, breathing deeply. Martha knelt down next to him and said, "Listen. Let me at least go get a milder pain med. It won't knock you out, but it might help. Then we'll ride it out until you can go talk to Fischer. I think the time frame is smaller, even now, though I'm sure it doesn't feel that way to you." Jack nodded, and put his head down on his desk as she left.

About two hours later, Gwen and Tosh both returned to the Hub looking and feeling much better than when they left. Owen had rolled off the couch and down to the showers after checking on Jack, and Ianto emerged not long after having changed clothes and showered. He made everyone coffee, and light returned to the team's eyes.

Gwen looked around at everyone, glad to see them awake and alert again, and feeling like they might be able to handle something thrown their way today. "All right. Jack, do you have ideas for figuring out where Fischer kept his data? Or what to do with him? I was thinking maybe letting UNIT in on this after all; he could rot in a UNIT prison if you ask me." Owen and Tosh nodded.

Jack replied, "Well, Handing him over to UNIT did occur to me, but I'd like to see what he has, first. Gwen, you and I will interrogate him while Tosh, you look for any clues on his files about where he might have been working and what else he's figured out about me. Owen, are you and Martha thinking you might be able to flush this crap entirely out of my system _anytime_ soon? This is getting real old." He didn't mean to sound ungrateful for what they'd already done, but he really did need to get his body back to normal. He was feeling himself get cranky, and he also felt like all of his thoughts were one step behind normal speed, like he was sluggish, and he hated feeling sluggish.

Owen shook his head, "We're going to look through the file now about the chemical makeup. I need to draw one more blood sample from you, first. We used up all we had before." Jack nodded and followed him down to the med bay.

When he got back up the stairs he had to sit down on the couch for a couple of minutes, but Ianto was waiting with a fresh cup of coffee when he regained himself, so he figured things weren't too bad for a moment.

"I moved Fischer to the interrogation room already, Jack." Ianto said. "He didn't seem too willing to chat with me, though." He smiled.

"All right. Gwen! Let's go see what he's willing to tell us." He stood up, and Owen popped back up stairs before Jack and Gwen could get far.

"Jack, do you want me to give him something to loosen his tongue a bit? Might speed things up a bit." Owen waggled a syringe in the air.

Jack thought for a minute and asked Gwen what she thought. Since they were looking for something concrete like a location, they agreed that a little help would be good. Owen went ahead of them and administered the serum and then approached Jack and Gwen as they arrived at the room. "He should be more willing to talk now. Let me know if you need me again." They nodded and Gwen turned to Jack.

"Do you want to lead, or should I?" Jack said that he wanted to lead, but he added, "I don't want to go through a pain round in there. I might have to step out for a bit."

"So let's make it quick," Gwen said with a smile.

They entered the room and when Jack saw Fischer sitting across the table, his breath caught. He hadn't properly seen the man since before Alex and the old team died, and he had forgotten how imposing a figure he was, not to mention good looking. Jack's memories poured out at the sight, remembering a beautiful, quiet, and funny woman whose psyche crumbled in front of everyone's eyes and became someone else entirely before they could bring her down. It wasn't any wonder Fischer had gone insane over her death, really. Jack took a deep breath and tried to focus on the moment here and now.

When Fischer saw Jack, he lowered his head for a moment, took his own deep breath, and looked up, eyes full of hate. He stared at Jack, though, and though the hate never left his eyes, a smile crossed his face, and he leaned back in the chair, grinning silently.

"What are you smiling about, Fischer?" Gwen asked coldly.

Fischer paused, "Because I knew the boy was lying about one thing, and now that I know which part was the lie, that leaves a truth that makes me very, very happy. It was the effects of the poison staying strong that was the lie," he said with confidence, and he looked at Jack the whole time he was talking, his smile never wavering.

Jack didn't understand. "What was the truth, then?" He asked, a cold weight forming in his stomach.

"The truth when he said that he doesn't love you. That he hates you with his whole being, and that you are being played, Jack Harkness. I heard it in his voice; I never did doubt that part of his story, really. I just wondered. But here you are, looking a little worse for wear from my poison, but standing here nonetheless. You're here and you believe that you've won, you've beaten me, but a seed of doubt is forming as you listen to me. That boy hates you at his core. He may be a good actor, but I know that hatred, and I heard it in his voice, saw it in his face. And you'll learn about his hatred someday, and on that day I will have beaten you, Jack, because you stole the love from my life, and my presence and poison will steal it from yours." Fischer's voice grew icier with each word, and by the end he was leaning forward across the table toward Jack.

Gwen saw that Jack had paled at Fischer's words, and she hated mind games with every fiber of her being. She hated Fischer for trying to play with Jack's already frayed emotions, and she was suddenly determined to get Jack out of the room as quickly as possible so that these lies didn't get a chance to fester. She leaned over the table herself, getting right in Fischer's face. "You have no idea about Jack's love, you bastard. And love is not why you are sitting in this cell. You're sitting here because we need to know where your lab is, where you were working to concoct this mess. So give it up and we'll send you to a little corner of nowhere and you can rot there with your hate."

Fischer looked at Gwen for the first time, and she saw that his eyes were glazed from the drug Owen had given him. It was kicking in. "My lab?" he asked. Gwen nodded. "Well, it's not hard to find, really." He gave an address and then looked back to Jack. "I'm seeing it now, Harkness. I didn't really need to poison you to hurt you, did I? Your very existence is poison, isn't it? That boy is going to leave you, and so is everyone else who finally discovers your secrets."

Fischer laughed, and Jack felt rage surging through his body. Rage that had nothing to do with pain, nothing to do with fear, and everything to do with the truths Fischer was speaking. Before Gwen could stop him, Jack rounded the table and lifted Fischer by his shirt, slamming him into the nearby wall. He only saw hatred when he looked at Fischer, and the gleam from Fischer's eye blinded Jack. He hit Fischer in the gut and pounded his fist into Fischer's cheekbone before Gwen could get to him, pulling him off of Fischer and yelling for Ianto to come get Jack. The door to the room flew open and Ianto wrapped his arms around Jack's waist, pulling him bodily out of the room, leaving Gwen to deal with Fischer. He held Jack until Jack's body slumped to the floor against the wall, his head hanging down and his breathing heavy. Ianto knelt down next to him.

"Jack. It's not true. Please. Don't believe anything he said, okay? Please?" Ianto pleaded desperately with Jack, gripping his arm like a vice, as if he thought that if he let go of Jack now he would lose him forever.

Jack's breathing evened out, but he didn't look up at Ianto. His voice was thick when he asked, "Did you tell him you hated me?"

Ianto didn't let go of Jack's arm, and said, "Yes." He paused and leaned closer. "I did say that. And I said a lot of other things that aren't true anymore, Jack. They're not true. I'm not leaving you until you tell me to go, and even then I probably won't listen. Jack, please. Believe me, not that maniac. He doesn't know you; he never did."

At that moment the physical pain came back to Jack's body, and when it was over Jack was left, sweating and trembling, in Ianto's arms. Gwen had taken Fischer back to his cell, and she came back to check on Jack.

"Ianto, why don't we get him back upstairs. He can rest." She knew that Fischer's mind games would play right into Jack's own insecurities, but she was confident that Ianto would be able to settle his fears. They helped Jack to his feet and they all climbed back up to the main area of the Hub. Tosh was there with questions in her eyes, but when they got upstairs Jack disentangled himself from Gwen and Ianto without a word to her.

"I'll be in my office. I need to figure out what to do with Fischer when this is all over. Gwen, you three need to get to Fischer's lab and clear it out. Come find me when you're back." He turned away brusquely, leaving even Ianto startled with his quick exit. The three colleagues looked at each other and Ianto shrugged.

"Let's give him some time. I'll talk to him later, but I don't think he's going to listen right now. We need to get Fischer's things." Gwen and Tosh nodded, and Gwen went to tell Martha and Owen where they were going. She also asked them to check in on Jack in a bit. They agreed.

About an hour after Tosh, Ianto and Gwen left to clear out Fischer's lab, Owen went to Jack's office to check on him. Jack was sitting in his chair, talking on the phone. Owen could see that he had pulled up the video and audio of Ianto's first visit to Fischer, though, and Owen could tell that he'd watched it. Jack looked up when Owen walked in and was just finishing his phone call. "I don't agree with you, General, but I suppose my hands are tied here. We'll get him delivered to London tomorrow. Yes, I'll bring the appropriate paperwork." Jack hung up the phone.

"What was that about, Jack?" Owen asked.

Jack leaned back in his chair, "UNIT wants us to deliver Fischer and all of his files to London tomorrow. They know about our investigation since Martha had to use their resources to help, and since he targeted Torchwood Three, they're stepping in to provide an 'objective investigation.'" Jack sounded angry, but resigned. "They're taking Fischer out of our hands." He paused, and then stood up, looking Owen in the eye. "We have to make sure the files they get are not Fischer's files. They can have him, but they can't have his research. Ever."

Owen nodded and said, "You should get Tosh working on it as soon as she gets back. She can fake the files."

Jack nodded. "That's what I was thinking."


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N: This is it. The End Chapter. I'll keep this short: Thanks for all of the support I've gotten from fantastic readers. I'd love more reviews now that it's finished, but I'm incredibly grateful to those who have been encouraging me along the way. Oh, and I TOTALLY forgot that Owen can't eat or drink anything. Arrgh! But I don't have time to fix it. If y'all would just roll with it, that'd be fantastic.**

About two hours later, the cog door alarms went off and Gwen, Tosh, and Ianto came in, carrying boxes loaded with materials from Fischer's lab. As soon as they set the boxes down, Jack came out to meet them, but he didn't even acknowledge their load. Gwen told him they'd found it easily enough, and he listened as she explained what they'd found, files, chemicals, paper copies of files, old CCTv footage of the area around the Hub, and a few other odds and ends related to Torchwood. The whole time, Ianto stood there noticing that Jack didn't look at him at all, listening only to Gwen and then saying, "All right. You two need to sift out anything related to Torchwood Three. Tosh, I need to meet with you in my office for a few minutes." He turned on his heel and left, not even, it seemed, noticing Ianto at all. This was bothersome. Jack was in cold mode, and to be on the receiving end of his silence was harrowing. Owen went back out to the SUV with Ianto and Gwen to help unload the rest of the materials, and Tosh looked at Jack's retreating figure, having noticed the darker glare in his eye immediately. She followed him to his office, and he sat down.

"Tosh, I need you to create fake files from Fischer's work. Can you do that? UNIT wants to take Fischer and everything we have on him into their custody – they're saying we can't be objective about this case. I can't have his research in their hands, though. He knows too much about me. Can you create dummy files to hand over?" He was quick and to the point. Then he added, "By tomorrow?" This time he looked at her sheepishly, knowing this was a big request.

Tosh thought for a moment, and then answered, "I think so. I just have to alter one set. I can wipe his hard drive on his computer and we can claim that he did it himself, right? Then all we have to deal with are the files on the jump drive?"

"Sure. That's good. Yeah." Jack nodded. "If you need any help, just ask Gwen or Ianto. Can you bring them up to speed on what you're doing?" He asked.

Tosh told him that wouldn't be a problem, wondering if she was imagining him avoiding Ianto, and he said, "Okay. Thanks. I just can't have UNIT getting this stuff." She saw his grip on his chair tighten and knew he probably needed her to leave. She did, and when she looked back as she left the office, his head was down and his hands were clenched even tighter on his chair. She knew he was still in pain. She went to the boxes of Fischer's materials and got started on the hard drive. When Gwen and Ianto finished unloading the SUV, they came to find her. She told them what Jack said, and they agreed to help her if they could, so she said she'd call them when she needed help. Gwen went down to check on Owen and Martha's search for a flat-out cure, and Ianto climbed the stairs to Jack's office. His door was shut. Ianto knocked, but didn't get an answer. When he went in looking for Jack, he couldn't find him. Jack wasn't even in his bunker. He went to Tosh and asked if she'd seen him.

"Let me check something, Ianto," She said, knowing he was probably desperate to find Jack and talk to him. She pulled up CCTv footage of the Hub in the last half hour and found Jack climbing the stairs. "Check the roof," she smiled.

Ianto sighed, "I should have thought of that first." He paused and looked at Tosh, "I think he believes what I said to Fischer. How can he believe any of it?" He asked desperately.

Tosh gave him a quick hug, "You'll work it out. He'll listen. Just be honest about where it came from and it'll work out."

Ianto nodded and began his ascent to the roof to find Jack. Sometimes he really hated Jack's roof fetish, particularly when he knew how upset Jack really was and just wanted to get to him, rather than taking a ten minute climb to the top of the roof. And he did know today. He knew that the physical pain Jack was going through was knocking Jack for an emotional loop as well; having to rely on everyone else to fix things was _not_ his style. When Ianto found Jack on the roof, he was huddled near the railing instead of standing and gazing out at the city. He was obviously in pain, and Ianto stayed at the door, waiting for it to pass, even though he really wanted to go and hold his lover until it was over. He decided that keeping his distance might be best for the moment.

After it was over, Jack unfolded himself and stood back up to look out at the expanse of the city, taking a deep breath. It was a bright afternoon, and not too cold. He didn't seem to notice Ianto standing there.

"Jack?" Ianto asked after a minute.

Jack didn't turn around, so Ianto walked over to him, still not trying to touch him and simply standing near him with his own hands on the railing. When Jack still didn't say anything, Ianto spoke.

"I used to hate you. I thought I wanted horrible things to happen to you. You _know_ this, Jack. You were the one who helped realize that none of the hate was real, in the end. You were the one who showed me that the hate I felt was actually toward the Cybermen and Torchwood One. You were the one who came round to my flat with pizza and movies and made sure I had food in my cupboards and paid my bills for the _months_ it took me to get over what happened with Lisa. You did it and you didn't have to, and I found myself enjoying you and hoping you'd be round with pizza and . . . _dammit_, Jack. I was _acting_ yesterday. I had to act in order to get the poison for Owen. You _know_ all of this!" His voice had cracked at the end, and he found himself gripping the railing of the roof as if he, too, were in pain.

Jack was silent for several minutes, and Ianto was about to give up and leave, and then Jack said with a cold voice, "You're a very good actor. Of course, I've known that since the incident with Lisa, too." He was quiet again, and then he said, "But I know the hate isn't real. I never said I believed that part, Ianto. I never said that, and I don't believe you hate me."

Ianto couldn't figure this out, then. He said quietly to Jack, "I _told_ you I didn't want to do this. I told you when they asked me to go talk to Fischer that I didn't want to do it. I knew what I'd have to say and I knew there would be fallout. This is _not_ my fault. You and I have something important. We have issues, too, and this is obviously brought them to the surface. But this is _not_ my fault and now you're shutting me out for something I did to help you." Suddenly Ianto's voice rose and he found himself angry. "When you're ready to let me in so I can defend myself, let me know. Until then, I apparently have some archiving to do." He turned, waited for a moment for Jack to try and stop him, and when Jack stayed where he was, Ianto left. He went back downstairs and straight past Tosh and Gwen and carried a box of Fischer's things down to the archives where he could sort in silence.

Tosh and Gwen looked at each other and Gwen said, "This could be bad. He said some bad things, and Jack's not really in the right state to be reasonable about it."

Tosh looked at Gwen incredulously and said, "But he was acting! Surely Jack knows he was acting. Jack's not being fair."

Gwen looked down the stairs where Ianto had disappeared and said, "He _was_ acting. But he had to pull his material from somewhere true, and I bet that's what's got Jack upset. He knows it came from a true place, and I'll bet he never thought he'd see that place with Ianto." She paused for a moment, "And Jack's not thinking very straight right now is he? Maybe once this poison is gone he'll regain some sense."

"I hope so," said Tosh.

Jack stayed on the roof for some time, but finally came back down to the Hub. He found his way to Martha and Owen, who were looking over a computer screen when he arrived.

"I think the time frame is pretty short now," He said to the doctors. "It still hurts like hell, but not for long. It's just long enough to keep me from being reliable, though, so I'd appreciate some good news from you two."

Martha and Owen looked at each other and grinned, "You just couldn't wait, could you?" Martha said.

Owen followed, "You had to storm down here instead of letting us make a grand entrance with the cure? Typical. We're 'just medics' after all."

Jack smiled, "You have it?" Both medics nodded, and Martha held up a syringe.

"We're going to give you this, and then we're going to sedate you. We think it needs some time to work, you could use a rest, and when you wake up we're both betting good money that you're cured."

"Good money I don't have, by the way, Jack," laughed Owen. "She's gonna make me take her to dinner if it works the first time, and I get dinner if we have to have a second go."

Jack laughed. "I hope you have to pay, Owen." Owen nodded and Martha pushed Jack's sleeve up and gave him the injection. Owen handed Jack a pill cup and said, "Go down to bed and take them. They'll work pretty quickly, and you'll sleep for at least a few hours. We'll handle things up here." Jack nodded and climbed the stairs, went to his bunker, and went to sleep.

Owen and Martha gathered the rest of the team and told them about the cure, and as Gwen saw it dawn on Ianto that Jack hadn't come to find him after Owen and Martha's good news, she looked right at Ianto and said, "He'll see reason when he's feeling better, you know."

Ianto smiled and nodded. "Thanks."

Jack did sleep. Tosh and Gwen worked on the files with Owen and Martha's help to make them more medically believable, and Ianto sorted through Fischer's belongings. By evening they had things sorted and the Tosh was still working on the files, changing the time stamps and user codes so that they all matched and wouldn't stand out as anyone's work but Fischer's. Jack woke up feeling rested, and after an hour without any pain at all, he gathered everyone in the conference room.

"I want to thank all of you for pulling together to help me," he said quietly. "Fischer will be handed over tomorrow late morning and we can be done with all of this garbage." He smiled at Martha and said, "How about I take you out to breakfast before you leave in the morning to go home?"

She stood and gave him a quick hug, "Sure, Jack. Owen's taking me for dinner like he owes me tonight, so that'll get me through 'till I get back to London."

Jack looked at Owen with a grin, "I owe you a round at the pub tomorrow night, so you'll get your money back. Thanks," he said to his medic sincerely.

Owen just grinned and nodded, a witty retort feeling out of place at the moment.

"Gwen and Ianto, you go home and get some rest tonight. I can't believe we haven't had any alerts through all of this; you should grab some sleep while you can. We'll probably pay for it tomorrow. Tosh, I hate to keep you here, but …" He trailed off.

"You need the files finished. I know, Jack. It actually shouldn't take me very long to finish up," She smiled.

Jack leaned back in his chair and grinned at everyone, "I have a team of geniuses. This is very, very helpful to me when an evil genius comes knocking. I have to remember this for the future." He winked at everyone and said, "Get out of here," and he shooed them away.

Ianto was the last to leave, and Jack said, "Ianto, stay here for a bit?" Ianto's face lifted a little, though he was far from happy about the way the afternoon had turned out, except for Jack getting better, of course. He nodded at Tosh and Gwen, and then turned back to Jack. He wasn't sure what to do.

Jack walked over to where Ianto was standing in the entryway to the room and closed the door behind him, softly. He looked Ianto over with pain free eyes that weren't even anticipating anything knocking him down anytime soon, taking in the crisp suit, the angled face, and Ianto's eyes, dark and reserved. He knew he'd hurt the young man earlier, but he was determined to get everything out and resolved, no matter what the consequences. He steered them both over to the chairs and sat down, pulling Ianto into a chair next to him. He folded his arms and looked Ianto in the eye.

"I'm sorry," he said softly, tenderly. "I'm sorry I rejected you today for what you did out of your desire to help me. I know you were scared like I was of what Fischer accomplished here. I know you wanted to help. I," Jack's voice faltered, "I never thought you hated me, really. That wasn't the part that upset me, but I don't know how to explain what did."

Ianto ran his fingers through his hair and cocked his head thoughtfully, "You could just try telling me which part did upset you, whether you know why or not."

Jack smiled softly, looking down, "Smart man, you are." He sighed, looked back at Ianto's face and said, "You said I was an emotional wreck craving anyone who could get into me. You said I was addicted to physical and emotional attention and it wasn't hard to supply." His voice broke and he looked away as his eyes filled with tears and he wiped them quickly away. "Is that really what you think?"

Ianto expelled a breath slowly. He leaned over to Jack and took one of his hands in his. "Jack," he said as he forced Jack's face back to his and looked him in the eye, commanding Jack's gaze. "We are _both_ emotional wrecks. We both have such awful pasts and dysfunctional ways of dealing with things. We're nowhere near healthy, in my humble opinion," he said with a grin. He saw a glimmer of a smile slip from Jack's eyes and he continued, "That's the _end_ of what I think. The rest of the statement you quoted, well, frankly, that's what _other_ people think of you, Jack. It's a nutshell psychobabble version of 'he'll shag anything that moves' and is everything anyone has said as a warning about you, as an armchair psychoanalysis of you, or as an attempt to degrade you." He paused for a moment, looking into Jack's clouded eyes. He reached up and brushed Jack's cheek with his hand and said, "I dredged up anything I thought would help, Jack. All I wanted was for that maniac to stop hurting you. You can ask Tosh and Gwen what kind of wreck _I _was minutes after that tape you watched. Yes, I think you're a wreck. But you're the wreck who holds me when I wake up screaming, you're the wreck who knows exactly how long down in the archives is too long for my sanity, and the wreck who sacrifices himself, literally, to keep me safe. I don't see any of that as a negative." He leaned in and gave Jack a small kiss, which was returned gratefully.

Jack pulled back softly and looked into Ianto's smiling face and said, "If all of that is true, then may I please take my wreck down to my bed and keep him safe tonight?"

Ianto smiled, nodded, and leaned into Jack's embrace again.

THE END.


End file.
